Destiny
by Asukai Haruka
Summary: A prophecy passed down in Cray for millennia describes the four heroes that will save both planets from a terrible Destiny. On Earth, these four clueless heroes must find out what they were destined to do and accomplish it before it is too late. Along the way, secrets will be uncovered and allies lost, but they must move on with an unwavering heart. All forms of love present
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, people of the world! I bring you another Cardfight Vanguard fic that actually includes Cardfighting! I will not be introducing my own cards or anything, I will only be using Bushiroad's official cards. That's right, Bushiroad owns Vanguard, I own nothing but my storyline and OCs.**

**You can PM me OCs too if you like, since I need a sizable amount of characters to appear and Cardfight. You can give me any amount of information you wish, I will add whatever else I need. By the way, if you are sending me OCs, please be warned that they will most probably make one-of appearances and lose...**

**Haruka**

_Goddess' aide is cold as ice_

_Seeking what she'll hurt to find_

_Idols' voice is larger than life_

_Gentle to those in her heart_

_Dragons' knight is too laid back_

_A raging beast to all his foes_

_Angels' light is always warm_

_Kind and sweet yet lightning fast._

**No POV**

"I'm the best player in the whole shop!" the loud bragging of one of the shop's newest customers greatly annoys the regulars and the shop keeper, a dark haired young woman with an almost infinite patience. This little brat is wearing her down, and she silently hopes that her shop's best regulars will show up soon and put him in his place. He has been lucky so far and won every game, even against some of the shop's stronger players. That brat's luck with Critical triggers has seen him ending the game with double Criticals every time. Vanguard is a luck-based game after all, and even the strongest player can never ascertain victory beforehand.

The door opens just as the boy repeats his statement loudly, and a tall, handsome looking blonde female with red eyes enters, cocking an eyebrow coolly at the brat's words. "Ono-san, what happened while we were gone?"

Gazing up at the blonde, the shop's regulars sigh with relief as three other people enter the shop after her. Ono-san, the shop keeper, exhales a sigh of relief alongside them, "A lucky newbie letting it get to his head, Kita-san."

"Hmm…" a muscular red haired male looks at the braggart, a teenage boy from the not-so-near-by Hitsue Academy, and looks obviously displeased. "Shizuka-san, would you like to give him a shot?" The entire store's attention focuses on the petite silver haired girl, who remains silent and unmoving.

The boy looks at the small girl and laughs mockingly, announcing that there is no way a mere girl could beat him. The last of the group, a black haired boy, speaks up angrily, "That is no way to speak to Shizuka-sama!" The blonde and redhead both look equally angry at the insult, though the silver haired girl's face is perfectly unreadable.

"Shizu," the blonde turns to address the petite girl, her red eyes filling with warmth and affection, "Shall I teach this brat a lesson?"

The boy snorts, commenting that a wannabe boy like the blonde could never beat him, a real male. Tauntingly, he tells her to undergo a gender altering surgery and try again, though she will never be able to be as manly as he is. Anger flashes briefly in the silver haired girl's breathtaking, unique eyes and she declares, "I'll finish him in two turns."

Taking out her deck, she approaches the table where the newbie stands, grinning cockily. He is using a fully built Shadow Paladin Revenger archtype, it must have cost him a sizable amount of money to build. Still, it does not matter what deck he comes at her with, he will not see any Grade 1s this game, nor any Grade 0s. Her power will assure that.

Usually, she tries her best not to pull power tricks in a game, but she is angry enough to go all out this time. She can easily ignore every insult he rains upon her and her two male teammates, but even a single word against the blonde will not be tolerated. She will not hold back at all, this newbie will face the full and crushing power of a child chosen by Cray.

Around them, spectators have gathered to watch the newbie get trashed. For their own safety, every single eager spectator ensures he or she is at least an arm's length away from the silver haired girl. She is not known for being merciful or kind to anyone, be it a Cardfight or a regular fistfight; cross her and she will not hesitate to draw blood. She is also extremely adverse to physical contact, reacting violently should anyone but the blonde touch her; in short, she is a dangerous girl indeed.

"Stand up, my Vanguard!" "Stand up, the Vanguard!"

"Battle Sister Waffle!" "Frontline Revenger, Claudas!"

The brat's first hand is purely made out of Grade 3 units (3 Illusionary Revenger, Mordred Phantoms and 2 Revenger, Raging Form Dragons), he has to keep his fingers crossed and hope a Grade 1 shows up soon. He has been lucky so far and will definitely continue to be, he assures himself, so he should keep calm and wait for what he needs to come to him. "The great Rei-sama draws!" It is not what he needs, instead being yet another Grade 3, Revenger, Raging Form Dragon. "I end my turn." It's fine, if a great player such as himself is having rotten luck, what kind of luck is that _girl_ seeing?

"Stand and draw," the silver haired girl calmly gets to work. "I ride Dark Cat. We both get to draw a card. Waffle moves to the rearguard." The small sized nun shifts behind the equally small sized black and purple cat that appears in her place. The boy draws his final Raging Form Dragon, why have his cards stacked so? Calmly, she continues, "I call Oracle Guardian Gemini and Battle Sister Cocoa. Cocoa's skill activates, I leave the card at the top."

Her eyes glow a brief purple color as she launches her attacks calmly, "Battle Sister Cocoa attacks your Vanguard." The sadistically grinning elven nun launches daggers at the warrior before her, making him cry out in pain. The brat's damage check is a Grade 2, Dark Cloak Revenger, Tarutu. "Dark Cat attacks your Vanguard with a boost from Waffle. Drive trigger check: get, Critical trigger. I give the Critical to Dark Cat and the power bonus to Gemini." The small black cat tackles the warrior; resulting in another two Tarutus enter the damage zone. "Finally, Gemini attacks your Vanguard." One of the naked floating cherub twins' face opens, a laser beam aims straight for the dark warrior. The damage check is now Blaster Dark Revenger, where in the world are his Grade 1s?

"The great Rei-sama draws!" He cries out confidently; still no Grade 1, it is a Grade 2 now, Blaster Dark Revenger. "Claudas attacks!" Unconcerned, the silver haired girl declares no guard, knowing that he will not get the trigger he needs to land the hit. His drive check is another Blaster Dark Revenger, his final one; it seems that like cards are really stacking together. The dark warrior halts before the small cat and retreats with a huff.

"Stand and draw," her eyes take on that eerie color again as she declares, "**Final Turn**!" He growls in frustration, unwilling to accept such a crushing defeat. "I ride Battle Sister Tart. Moving Gemini back, I call Battle Sister Macaron."

The first attack from her Vanguard takes him out of the game, aided by a Critical trigger. Both damages taken are Sharkbau Revengers, his cards have all stacked together perfectly after all. The bullet striking his Vanguard sends pain shooting through his body, and he screams as he pulls back from the table, knees buckling beneath him.

Slumped on the floor, the boy reaches weakly for his deck and fans it out, only to see his deck perfectly arranged by Grade and card before him, with Grade 0s right at the bottom. Gasping in shock, he looks up at the silver haired girl, who has already kept away her deck and is walking toward her group.

"What the hell did you do to my deck, witch?!" He lunges at her, and she stops the attack surprisingly easily. Her eyes are completely calm, glassy like a doll's, like a child possessed. Stunned, he can only stare at her blankly as she snaps his wrist cleanly with a single movement.

She releases his hand and punches him in the face with her other hand simultaneously, sending him flying. Growling lowly, she glares at him, "Do not touch me, insect."

Nose bloodied and bruised, the boy gets up and flees from the shop, crying and screaming about telling his parents on her. With a sigh, the blonde places a hand on the petite girl's head, "I think you went a little overboard, Shizu." Said girl looks almost… _sad_, as the blonde continues, "But damn, you did a good job, sweetie." Upon hearing that, the sorrow fades immediately.

The entire shop bursts out into applause; Shizuka ignores them and stays by the blonde's side wordlessly.

**-Next Day—**

**Shizuka's POV**

"Welcome to the Vanguard Regional Tournament!" A cheerful emcee practically screams into the microphone, making me wonder why he needs one in the first place. "We have an abundance of hopeful teams aiming for victory; this will surely be an interesting tournament!" The crowd roars in approval, shrieking the names of the teams they support, making me wish I could disappear into a nice quiet library where my eardrums will be spared from torture. "There are quite a number of impressive new teams, and we have several old favorites back for another round!"

The crowd shrieks loudly, calling out the name of one of last year's winners, Team Oracle, a group of Oracle Think Tank users who were second-runner-up in Nationals last year. One of them uses a deck similar to my own, I feel like fighting him and beating him upside down with his own deck. Is that cruel…? Ah, who cares about other humans anyway?

"The teams will be split into two blocks, A and B." _How creative. _"Each team will send out one player to Cardfight at all times, and whichever team wins two games advances to the next round." I see a few smirks on the faces of the Cardfighters around me; they are all brimming with confidence and determined to emerge victorious. Their feelings are pointless, however, for my team will crush every single obstacle in our way.

"Now, before we get the tournament underway, I would like to request a moment of silence for Tatsunagi Kourin-san, who was murdered along with her entire family ten years ago." Silence descends upon the stadium at last when the screen displays an image of a young-looking, emerald-eyed blonde smiling warmly into the camera. She is strangely familiar, invoking a brand new feeling within me. Is it… _nostalgia_…?

When the moment is up and the emcee screams into the microphone again, the feeling fades completely and I cannot even remember exactly what it felt like. Shaking it off, I focus my eyes on the screen now displaying the names of the teams battling in the first round.

"In Block A: Team Commando VS Team Wildshot! And in Block B: Team Fireball VS Team Hornet!" Goddess, you have a _microphone_, do you need to shout like that? "All other teams, please head to the stands and await your turn!"

Teams Commando, Wildshot, Fireball and Hornet; I shake my head internally. If the creativity level of our competitors is the same as their level of prowess in Cardfighting, this will be a very boring tournament. Heading back to the stands with my teammates, I am grateful that our team's name does not sound as strangely ridiculous or childlike as the four presented to us.

"We should watch the matches and look out for competition," Haruki suggests, "Kei-kun and I will take Block B. _Nee-san_, you and Shizuka-sama can take Block A."

Mizuki, his elder sister, shrugs and agrees to his idea since none of us are bothered to come up with any others. Though they are siblings a year apart, Kita Haruki and Kita Mizuki look nothing like one another. While Haruki's hair is black, Mizuki's is blonde, and he has amber eyes while hers are a striking red. Haruki looks like a _Shota_ despite his height, and Mizuki with her short hair and handsome features attracts a rather large number of girls. Some people say that Mizuki should have been the boy, and Haruki the girl. I, however, like Mizuki just the way she is, not that I will ever say that aloud.

"C'mon, angel boy," Kei grumbles as he drags the younger boy with him, "We have some lamely-named teams to watch. And couldn't you have given us Block A and made the girls walk instead?" Hisakawa Kei is the eldest of our team, with short and spiky red hair and emerald eyes. He is one of the world's laziest people and would definitely rather be asleep under the stands somewhere than watching Block B's matches.

As the two boys bicker on their way to the other stadium, Mizuki leans casually against the handrail overlooking Block A's fighters below us. Fortunately, participating Cardfighters have a private portion of the stands to wait in, shielding us from the "wrath" of terrifying fans. Though we are a new team, the card shop whose tournament we won treated us like their celebrities; even though we made it clear we were not representing them in any way.

On the stage, the two fighters are out, a rather short bespectacled boy for Team Commando and a tall, lanky fellow for Team Wildshot.

"Stand up, Vanguard!" the two boys shout together, flipping their starting Vanguard face up.

"Officer Cadet of the First Battle!"

"Lizard Soldier, Conroe!"

As the units form in an underwater battlefield, I lose myself in the amazing world of Vanguard…

**Mizuki's POV**

Team Commando probably sent out this amateur to mess with their opponents' heads. Not only is he using a pure Aqua Force trial deck, he has only one attack per turn. Aqua Force with only _one_ attack a turn, any experienced player will know how terrible that is. It is just Navalgazer Dragon boosted by Tear Knight, Theo on the field, since this amateur guarded too early and used up all the valuable units that he needs now.

Shizuka is tensed up beside me, her beautiful, breathtaking eyes glazed over. Nudging her slightly, I whisper, "Navalgazer's throwing a fit, isn't he?" She nods minutely, her attention still on the field as the Kagero player declares Final Turn and rushes in with Dragonic Overlord The End. If this is the level of competition in this tournament, we should turn around and go home. Even the youngest team in our home, Team Crescent, can give half of our team (the male half) a run for their money with an Aqua Force trial deck. We have beaten people upside down with the very same deck!

"Victory, Team Wildshot's Yamaguchi Kouta!" The crowd cheers enthusiastically, I just want to get out of here and save myself the pain of watching any more terrible matches. Shizuka must be suffering too, seeing her friends misused to such an extent…

Said silver haired girl's eyes are still glued to the stage, where the second match is taking place. Every member in their team probably uses the same Clan, for it is Aqua Force against Kagero once again, though it is no longer a trial deck out there. Petite little Shizuka is tense throughout the match, especially when Last Card, Revonn shows up on the field. Revonn is among the many units who have tried, more than once, to make my petite little sweetheart change decks and use them instead. She has always turned him down, along with the others, but they have never given up.

Tsukino Shizuka is the youngest member of our team and its leader and strongest fighter. She is also the smallest sized and the only one with long hair of us, and people have taken to calling her the Frozen Princess for her icy demeanor. Her eyes are the world's most amazing and beautiful gems in the world, dark purple like the night sky and flecked with silver like little stars. She is a gifted Cardfighter and a unique beauty, and I am fortunate enough to be able to call her mine. I am comfortable with the public status of our relationship and though we had more than our fair share of homophobes asking us to die, we pulled through and ignored them. Now, people have taken to calling us "cute", though many are hoping that we will break up so they can swoop in and take one of us.

Finally, the game ends with Team Wildshot's victory, saving us from having to watch another agonizing match. Released from the hold of Cray, my sweetheart's body relaxes and she finally feels my gaze upon her, looking up at me with large, questioning eyes.

"You're absolutely adorable," I smile at her, watching as her cheeks burn a brilliant red and she looks away from me almost moodily, muttering "_baka_", meaning idiot, under her breath. I just chuckle; she can be such a _tsundere_ sometimes.

"Alright! The next matchup for Block A is…" the emcee is starting to get on my nerves with all that yelling of his. I cannot imagine how annoyed Shizuka must be, she loathes people with a passion and has heightened senses. She probably is on the verge of going deaf, "Team Dragon VS Team Angelus!"

Finally, it is our turn to take the stage. And no, we are not Team Dragon; that name takes lame to a whole new level. Are they Kagero or Narukami users? They could be using mix-Clan decks, or all three of them are using different decks with dragon avatars. Oh well, no matter what they do, they are no threat to Angelus and can never hope to be.

"So, who wants to fight first?" I ask when we get to the waiting room. Kei finds himself a long and comfortable couch and declares nap time while Shizuka has taken out a book and is giving us the cold shoulder, so Haruki decides to go first and I choose to fight second. Haruki is our weakest link; if they are unable to beat him, they have no hope at all of winning this round.

"From Team Dragon, we have Ishida Jedi!" _Is that seriously his name…? Poor dude, his parents must have watched too much Star Wars. _"And from Team Angelus, we have Kita Haruki!" The crowd cheers wildly; Shizuka flinches visibly and buries herself further into the paperback in her hands. Shaking my head and chuckling in amusement at my girl's sensitivity, I ruffle her hair fondly and then turn my attention to the Cardfight before me.

"Stand up, Vanguard!" "Stand up, the Vanguard!"

"Arboros Dragon, Ratoon!" "First Aid Celestial, Penuel!"

The orange haired boy, Jedi, has the first turn. "I draw and ride Arboros Dragon, Branch! Branch's skill, I look at the top seven cards of my deck and add Arboros Dragon, Timber to my hand. Next, I call Corolla Dragon!" On the field, two rather adorable dragons have appeared, one is mainly green and holding a magic wand of some sort while the other looks as if it is wearing a shirt of leaves and has huge butterfly wings. "I end my turn." _Hmm, not bad, Star Wars kid, not bad._

_Jedi: Front: RG-Arboros Dragon, Branch-RG Back: RG-Corolla Dragon-RG Hand: 5 Damage: 0_

"I draw and ride Marking Celestial, Arabaki. Penuel moves to rearguard," Haruki begins his turn, a brilliant flash of light illuminating his Vanguard. It fades with time to reveal a green haired, heterochromatic, blue winged angel holding a gun. Behind her, an adorably small blue winged angel holding a first-aid kit appears, smiling warmly. "Boosted by Penuel, Arabaki attacks!" Jedi declares no guard, proving that he does have experience with this game enough to know not to guard so early. "Drive trigger check. Get, Critical trigger, all effects to Arabaki." Haruki looks as if he has been expecting that critical, Shamihaza probably made her presence known to him before he even attacked.

_Haruki: Front: RG-Marking Celestial, Arabaki-RG Back: RG-First Aid Celestial, Penuel-RG Hand: 5 Damage: 0_

"I draw and ride Arboros Dragon, Timber!" A larger green dragon takes the place of the first one; his magic wand has also increased in size and now emits a purple glow. "Timber's skill, I superior call Corolla Dragon! I call Glass Beads Dragon!" Another one of those adorable butterfly-winged dragons appears on the field in a burst of white light, along with a four-winged rather ugly dragon. Jedi attacks with Glass Beads Dragon boosted by Corolla Dragon, which Haruki guards with Shamihaza. He does not want his opponent to draw a card enough to guard so early, I see…

"Boosted by Corolla Dragon, Timber attacks your Vanguard!" No trigger is revealed, and my brother happily takes the damage without complaints.

_Jedi: Front; Glass Beads Dragon-Arboros Dragon, Timber-RG Back: Corolla Dragon-Corolla Dragon-RG Hand: 5 Damage: 2_

"I stand and draw, and I ride Essence Celestial, Becca!" The green haired angel fades into a burst of light and is replaced by an orange haired angel with light blue wings in a dress holding almost comically huge crutches. "I call Wildshot Celestial, Raguel!" A wild eyed blonde angel with dark blue wings and a huge machine gun appears as well, smirking as she cocks her gun.

"Boosted by Penuel, Becca attacks!" a white light surrounds the orange haired angel, who leaps at the green dragon and strikes him with one of her crutches. Jedi takes the damage, Arboros Dragon Sephirot, and then stands there expecting another. Haruki chooses to go after Glass Beads Dragon with Raguel instead, however, causing surprise and annoyance to flicker across the carrot-top's face. The blonde opens fire, but Jedi chooses to protect the dragon by sacrificing Arboros Dragon, Branch as a guardian unit. "I end my turn," Haruki passes the turn over, definitely already plotting his Final Turn.

_Haruki: Front: RG-Essence Celestial, Becca-Wildshot Celestial, Raguel Back: RG-First Aid Celestial, Penuel-RG Hand: 4 Damage: 1_

"I stand and draw!" the Jedi kid looks uncomfortable now; it seems that the final form of his ride chain has chosen to abandon him. Shaking his head, the boy pulls himself together, continuing, "I ride Maiden of Trailing Rose!" The dragon gives way to a purple haired maiden in an outfit made of flower petals. "And I call, Glass Beads Dragon!" One more of those darn ugly dragons appear, and the boy begins his assault. "Boosted by Corolla Dragon, Glass Beads Dragon attacks your Vanguard!"

"No guard," Haruki declares confidently, smirking as the boy activates the dragon's skill, counterblasting two to draw a card. Looking a little upset, Jedi shouts, "Maiden of Trailing Rose attacks Becca with a boost from Corolla Dragon!"

Still confident, my little brother declares no guard, taking the attack and getting a Draw trigger in his damage check. Giving the power bonus to Raguel, he draws a card and smirks at Jedi who is bemoaning the fact that his final Glass Beads Dragon lacks the power to land a hit.

_Jedi: Front: Glass Beads Dragon-Maiden of Trailing Rose-Glass Beads Dragon Back: Corolla Dragon-Corolla Dragon-RG Hand: 6 Damage: 3_

"I stand and draw and I ride Prophecy Celestial, Ramiel!" The orange haired angel fades in a burst of light, changing to a blue winged angel with blonde hair wielding a pair of disjointed scissors. "I call, Candle Celestial, Sariel!" An adorable, large-eyed and blue winged angel appears on the field, "Activating Sariel's ability, I counterblast one card and search my deck for one to add to my damage zone. Solidify Celestial, Zerachiel. I place one card in my drop zone. Now, I call Underlay Celestial, Hesediel." A small sized lavender haired angel joins in the fray, eyes blazing with determination.

The attack begins with Ramiel leading the charge with a boost from Penuel, gaining a Draw trigger whose power bonus goes to Sariel. The purple haired maiden cries out at the impact of the blonde angel's weapons; Jedi's damage check is the very card he was probably looking for, Arboros Dragon, Sephirot. "Raguel takes aim at Glass Beads Dragon!" Jedi allows the attack to pass, probably changing tactics, and also allows Sariel's attack to strike him. Is he aiming for Sephirot's limit break? But if he is, he would protect Glass Beads, unless he has another in his hand…

_Haruki: Front: Candle Celestial, Sariel-Prophecy Celestial, Ramiel-Wildshot Celestial, Raguel Back: Underlay Celestial, Hesediel-First Aid Celestial, Penuel-RG Hand: 6 Damage: 3_

"I stand and draw!" He frowns when he sees the card in his hand and announces, "I call, World Bearing Turtle, Ahkbara!" A large turtle with trees growing on its back appears, roaring loudly. "I call, Lady of Sunlight Forest!" An elderly green haired elf in a wooden chair holding a large staff appears behind the turtle, smiling serenely. Glass Beads Dragon swings in with a boost from Corolla Dragon, which Haruki guards. Maiden of Trailing Rose attacks, racing at the blonde angel with a boost from her butterfly-winged friend, and Haruki happily allows it to pass.

"Drive trigger check: First check…" he curses when he sees Arboros Dragon, Sephirot, it is not exactly what one would need without the proper field setup, though two units getting a power bonus isn't that bad. "Second check, Watering Elf. Get, Stand trigger, all effects to Glass Beads Dragon." Haruki looks unconcerned as the darn ugly dragon attacks again, intercepting the attack with Sariel. He willingly takes Ahkbara's attack, though, it seems he has things all mapped out in his head.

_Jedi: Front: Glass Beads Dragon-Maiden of Trailing Rose-World Bearing Turtle, Ahkbara Back: Corolla Dragon-Corolla Dragon-Lady of Sunlight Forest Hand: 7 Damage: 5_

"**Final Turn!**" my brother declares, a rather frightening look in his amber eyes. His enemy has just strayed right into the trap he has been weaving, it seems, and it all will end here. "I Break Ride, Solidify Celestial, Zerachiel! She gains 10,000 power for the turn and I get to return one card from the damage zone to my hand!" He takes the face down card, Pure Keeper, Requiel if I remember correctly, and adds the top card of his deck to the damage zone. It is Marking Celestial, Arabaki. On the field, the blonde angel gives way to her Captain, a blonde herself (though her hair has more of a brownish tinge to it than yellow). Her huge blue wings fold out majestically behind her, and there is a heart-shaped object in her hands.

"I call Candle Celestial, Sariel! Activating her skill, I counterblast one and add Underlay Celestial, Hesediel to the damage zone! I remove one card," he smiles a little as he continues, "Penuel's skill activates, I move her to soul and superior call Underlay Celestial, Hesediel. I add the top card of my deck to the damage zone face down and call one more Hesediel."

His perfect setup has been attained, "Zerachiel's Limit Break, Sweet Harmony! All Celestial units get a 3000 power bonus! Boosted by Hesediel, Zerachiel attacks! Hesediel's own skill activates!" This brings Zerachiel's attacking power to 36,000; there is no way Jedi will be surviving this turn. My brother decides to use Zerachiel's special counterblast, bringing her power up to 41,000.

"I guard with Watering Elf, Sweet Honey and two Chestnut Bullets!" 40,000 worth of shield, only two cards remain in his hand. Since one of them is a Grade 3, he will not be surviving this turn. "Drive trigger check. First check, Battle Cupid, Nociel. Second check, Critical Hit Angel. Get, Critical trigger, all effects to Raguel."

Smiling a little, Haruki says, "Your loss has been calculated since the moment you started this game against me. Boosted by Hesediel, Raguel attacks your Vanguard!" 36,000 and 2 Criticals, the game has ended. Only two heals can save him, and he does not get a single one. The battlefield fades away as the Jedi kid starts throwing a sort of temper tantrum at his loss, claiming bad luck. "This is a luck game," Haruki says smoothly, smiling at his opponent, "If all the Grade 1 units were stacked at the bottom of the deck, even the strongest fighter can't win."

If it were Shizuka that said that, her enemy's Grade 1s will really stack themselves at the bottom of the deck, they are all that eager to obey her command. Jedi grumbles and swears that he will remember my brother, who just shrugs and returns his deck to his pocket.

"Victory goes to Kita Haruki!" The emcee recovers enough to shout the result to the crowd, which cheers explosively in response. My brother returns to us sighing with relief, it seems that he expected tougher competition in this tournament.

Stretching languidly, I ready myself to head out to the field and take down my opponent with my good friend's help. "For Round Two, it is Dragon's Ishizawa Luke against Angelus' Kita Mizuki!" _Luke? Are they all naming themselves after Star Wars characters? Who's next then, Darth Vader or Master Yoda? Ah, it doesn't matter; there won't be a next round. I'll finish this in three turns._

"Kita?" Luke wrinkles his nose, "That kid from before your brother?"

"Nah, he's my sister," I reply, cringing internally at my fangirls' swooning and shrieking in the stands in response. They enjoy my "cocky attitude" and think that I am extremely cool and "hot", which really creeps me out. I just enjoy playing with people's heads, what's so cool about that?

"Wait til I beat you and shut that cocky mouth of yours," he says confidently, "Girls can't play Vanguard."

"Oh?" I say casually, completely unaffected by his jibe, "then why are you playing?"

His plan of making me angry backfires as he flares up instead, screaming at me as I continue calmly shuffling my deck and asking my units' help to finish this cocky guy off as soon as possible. "I'll finish you in three turns with a double critical," I tell him, knowing that my units already hate this guy as much as I do and will gladly give me the cards I need to take him out as I please. Normally, they would never let me get away with such a specific prediction, but they are willing to let me have my way this time. Only Shizuka can order them around so completely, I can only alter the flow of the game slightly.

"Yeah right," he scoffs, determined not to believe me, and I just smirk and get the fight started. Already unnerved, he will definitely not concentrate and will probably make a few misplays, which will serve to my benefit. I will definitely get rid of this damn sexist kid in three turns.

…

"**Final Turn!**" I declare before riding Top Idol, Pacifica, already able to hear the voices of Drive Quartet, Shuplu and Comical Rainie calling out to me two cards below the surface of the deck, eager to help me teach this guy a lesson in girl power. Pacifica, boosted by Sedna, swings in for 21,000, and I can see that he is unconvinced that two Critical triggers will show up like I had promised earlier. "Gentlemen have to keep their word, especially to ladies," I taunt him, basically warning him that I will definitely pull off what I had assured him at the start of the match. He just fumes at me calling him a lady and shouts, "No guard!"

The look on his face is absolutely priceless when Shuplu and Rainie show up one after another, knocking him right out of the game before any fun can begin. As my victory is declared, I keep my cards and tell my opponent, "Well, lady, you may want to retire from Vanguard. It obviously isn't suited to you." Chuckling at his anger and embarrassment, I make my way back to the waiting room to help Haruki wake Kei up so we can clear the room for the next team. That darn redhead needs two megaphones blasting in his ear in order to wake him up, unless we use violent methods.

From the stands, I can still hear fangirls screaming my name, "Oh! Mizuki-sama is so cool!" I shudder imperceptibly and give the snoring Kei a kick in the guts, which effectively wakes him up at last. Groaning, he asks, "What the heck was that for?"

Haruki answers for me, "We have to get going, Kei-kun. We've already won." The redhead grumbles and asks us why we could not have dragged the games a little longer to give him more sleep; I reply that double criticals do not exactly help a game last long.

"You hit him with a double crit?" Kei starts to laugh, "Damn, the look on his face must've been gold!" Chuckling, I inform him that it was, and the whole world can see it again and again by watching the last turn of our Cardfight.

"Well, since there obviously is no competition here, let's go home. Round two only begins tomorrow," Kei stretches and yawns, leading us out of the Cardfight Stadium. Haruki has no protests, which is rather strange; I guess he has a bit more confidence in himself now. Okay, that is actually really unlikely, he probably is confident in Shizuka and I, knowing that we will definitely blow any enemy away regardless of their strength.

Having strong PSY Qualia is a gift after all, if you control the "luck" in a luck game, your victory is guaranteed.

**A/N: I will leave a character description at the bottom of the first few chapters to describe all important characters. Feel free to send me OCs for them to Cardfight against; I will take them all into consideration! The deck lists I provide are all made by me, feel free to use them if you wish!**

**Please leave me a review if you have any comments! Thank you in advance! ~Haruka**

_**Kita Mizuki**_

_**Age: 17**_

_**Height: 172cm / 5 ft. 7 in.**_

_**Weight: 54kg / 119lb**_

_**Birthday: 10 June**_

_**Personality: A carefree, teasing and charismatic genius who dislikes people. She is overprotective toward her girlfriend yet loves teasing her. When Cardfighting, she shows no mercy and enjoys taunting her opponents.**_

_**Appearance: Short and messy blonde hair, striking red eyes, alabaster skin, handsome and with sharp features. Her usual outfit is a tight-fitting dark gray shirt, tattered jeans, a studded belt and black boots.**_

_**Strength of PSY Qualia: High. She can talk to her cards and is on friendly terms with them.**_

_**Clan: Bermuda Triangle**_

_**Deck list:**_

_**G0:**_

_**Bermuda Triangle Cadet, Weddell x 1**_

_**Comical Rainie [Critical] x 4**_

_**Drive Quartet, Shuplu [Critical] x 4**_

_**Drive Quartet, Ressac [Stand] x 4**_

_**Drive Quartet, Flows [Heal] x 4**_

_**G1:**_

_**Mermaid Idol, Sedna x 3**_

_**PRISM-Image, Clear x 2**_

_**Mermaid Idol, Felucca x 4**_

_**Pearl Sisters, Perle x 2**_

_**Mermaid Idol, Elly x 3**_

_**G2:**_

_**Intelli-Idol, Melville x 3**_

_**Mermaid Idol, Flute x 2**_

_**Pearl Sisters, Perla x 2**_

_**PRISM-Image, Rosa x 3**_

_**PRISM-Promise, Celtic x 2**_

_**G3:**_

_**Top Idol, Pacifica x 4**_

_**Eternal Idol, Pacifica x 3**_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Glad to see that people like this story! I have been itching to write this for ages! This story will have Yuri, Yaoi and Hetero, with the focus of course being Yuri (all my works are Yuri after all).**

**Thanks to Blackwing-Darkraven for the characters Wesley and Whitney Seymour, and thanks to rcybs for the characters Lori Shiazin and Akira Nian (all non-Japanese, I assume, considering their names / surnames in the last one's case). I hope you will enjoy what your characters are like in this story!**

**For those who want to submit OCs, I cannot accept those with PSY Qualia and they will not be major characters, making only one-off appearances. I have already planned the whole story out and would not like to make any more changes. Thank you for understanding!**

**Haruka**

**Mizuki's POV**

Since there really is no threat in this year's Regionals, we all happily head home to do what we like until the second round begins. We agreed that we will each at least complete one hour of training at the simulator in the basement of our home before round two, just in case there are any threats we missed out as they did not Cardfight. Shizuka is exempt from this agreement as we all know she will be spending most of the rest of today in Cray; she has unlimited access to the planet the rest of us can only catch glimpses of.

We live in an apartment building in the city, the entire building is owned by our Master and 40 different people live there, including us. All of us here play Vanguard, are orphans and have varying level of PSY Qualia. We also have no memories of our pasts; we all woke up in a bed in the apartment able to recall nothing about the years we lived before we opened our eyes that day. Master gave us food, water, clothes and a purpose, giving us access to the largest amount of cards ever and allowing us to build our own decks and create our own unique play styles. Master saved our lives and gave us all a direction, he gave us a reason to live and fight. We are all grateful to him for what he has done, but many of us still hold on to that hazy picture of the families we cannot remember and hence will never see the others here, or Master, as family.

There are 10 teams of four members each in our home, with Team Angelus being the strongest and the amateur Team Crescent the weakest. Cardfighting takes up almost our entire lives, and the apartment building has rooms dedicated to Cardfighting with full motion figure systems like those in official tournaments. We are also allowed to build as many decks as we desire and edit them as we please; the door to the card room is always open.

"We're back!" Haruki yells as he throws open the door, alerting the entire house of our return. Everyone troops down to see us, from the relatively new seven year olds to our senior twenty-six year olds, smiling and greeting us warmly.

"That was an amazing victory, Mizuki-senpai!" a small brown haired boy tugs at my arm, "Did the criticals agree with you to be there?" If I remember correctly, his name is Ogawa Kazuki and he is from Team Savant, a talented but strange young team made up of four eccentric little boys. They are all socially awkward and sizably introverted, but when you find something they are willing to talk about, they can go on for hours. One of those things is Cardfight Vanguard, of course.

I nod with a smile and ask everyone to move aside so we can get into the house before we catch a cold standing out in the Autumn wind, not surprised that they comply immediately. Team Angelus is the entire house's superstar, the so-called "strongest and coolest" team of them all. Everyone looks up to us and respects us greatly, especially the little kids.

The moment the crowd parts, Kei disappears into his room for a nice long nap until goddess-knows-when, Haruki heads off to the kitchen to rustle up something for lunch and Shizuka fades into thin air to do whatever it is she feels like doing. Left by myself, I wonder what in the world I should do when I feel another tug on my arm.

"Mizuki-senpai, can we play against you?" It is one of the boys from Team Crescent, the one using an Aqua Force trial deck. He probably wants to please the annoyed Navalgazer Dragon by giving him a good game, which will hopefully take his mind off that amateur's terrible defeat.

"Sure," I nod with a smirk, "Let me take a disadvantage again. Hmm, Kana-senpai, may I borrow your deck?" Sawaguchi Kana is one of the weakest PSY Qualia users in the home and she uses many different decks, so I have honestly no idea which one I will be borrowing from her.

"It's an Oracle Think Tank soulless build," Kana informs me as she hands the deck to me. I thank her and head to the simulation room, pleading with the Oracle units to help me out a little because I am not exactly familiar with the Clan's mechanics. I have only watched my sweetheart freeze her opponents and cut down all in her way with this Clan, and hers is an entirely different build from the one in my hands.

"Stand up, the Vanguard!" "Stand up, the Vanguard!"

"Little Witch, Lulu!" "Officer Cadet of the First Battle!"

This is going to be a fun match, I can hear the cards' voices and I know what they want to do. Scarlet Witch, Coco is going to blast all enemies in her way with the power of the stars, and a couple of conveniently located critical triggers will be making multiple appearances throughout the game. Having already confirmed my victory with Kana's deck, I smirk and exclaim cheerfully, "Let's begin!"

The cards are being exceptionally nice to me lately, I wonder if my Shizu has something to do with it… Oh well, I have an hour of Cardfighting to accomplish!

**Shizuka's POV**

Home at last, I take the first opportunity I get to retreat to the roof of the building, climbing up the water tank and sitting there quietly. I like being up here all by myself, I loathe human company except for Mizuki, and I am only willing to tolerate Haruki and Kei. Other humans get on my nerves and I always try my best to avoid them and keep them out of my way; they are both annoying and much too fragile, and I wound them too easily.

Truthfully, I am only opposed to human company on earth. Humans from Cray are not as annoying, and even though some of them may not be right in the head, I do not mind them very much. I am willing to accept the company of the denizens of Cray because they respect me immensely and always try their best not to annoy me, unlike the humans on Earth who expect me to be a shallow, weak girl they can pull around on a leash.

My best friend on Cray is an elf in the Oracle Think Tank Clan, my avatar, Battle Sister Monaka, and I enjoy her interesting company whenever I have the chance to leave this world behind and descend into another, much more beautiful planet. She is kind and has a one-track mind, determined to get a rematch with Battle Sister Cookie, and she does have a surprisingly sentimental and sensitive side. Mizuki jokingly asked me once if Monaka was competition for my affection, I assured my girlfriend that she had nothing to fear for she is the only one in my heart and will always be.

After all, Mizuki was by my side since I first opened my eyes at the age of six, trapped in a strange world without memories. I am naturally cold and introverted and was that way even back then. I pushed her away at first, but gradually came to tolerate and then welcome her into my world. She was the only one I showed any emotions at all to, and she loved teasing me from the very beginning about my negligible height and my "adorability", amongst other things; the day I finally breached five feet in height she celebrated as if it were a miracle. It was only a few months ago that it happened, Master was very amused and authorized Mizuki to throw a party to celebrate the fact that I was no longer only four feet tall.

Mizuki is my everything, the only one I love and the only one I am willing to show my emotions to. My friends on Cray are my support; they are the ones that give me strength and courage on the battlefield to crush my opponents. They are all I need to survive; I desire nothing else but to unravel the mystery of my past.

Closing my eyes, I allow my spirit to wander, feeling the thrilling pull of Cray as I am freed from my body, transported to another land that few from earth have free access to.

_-ON CRAY-_

"_Ah, you come by again, Shizuka-chan," Monaka halts her training to turn and look at me, her lips slightly blue from the cold. Icy mist billows around her, flowing around her and making her seem like a phantom of some sort. She never gets sweaty during training thanks to Hanekiri Habaki, her blade, which is so cold that it freezes nearly everything around it, its wielder included._

_I nod silently, not really one to speak, and she sheathes her blade and walks toward me. "Does anything trouble you, my friend?" She looks concerned, resting one hand gently on my shoulder. Nodding, I mumble something about the familiarity of the dead idol, Tatsunagi Kourin-san, who died ten years ago. The only thing remotely audible from my mouth is the word "nostalgia"; I can barely hear the rest myself. I am unable to speak properly to anyone about my emotions; I can only choke out bits and pieces to Mizuki but cannot bring myself to utter audible syllables before anyone else._

_Somehow, Monaka manages to understand me anyway, responding, "There definitely are things about yourself you do not know, Shizuka-chan. She could be one from the past you forgot."_

_I nod, that is exactly what I was thinking. However, it troubles me because she was murdered along with her entire family; if I was indeed part of her family, why is it that I am still alive? She cannot possibly be my mother, she must have been a family friend of some sort, maybe she visited my parents a lot when I was little… Were my parents murdered by the same person who did Tatsunagi Kourin-san in? If so… what was the killer's purpose? Will I be able to find out more about my parents by looking into her murder? Will I be able to live with what I find?_

"_Worrying will bring no profit," Monaka ruffles my hair; everyone here does that because they are mostly taller than me, though I only accept it from Monaka, "If you want answers, seek them. However, if knowing the truth and not knowing leads to the same outcome, then I suggest you give up the chase." Monaka somehow has the ability to read me; she can occasionally catch my emotions even though I do not show them. Unlike Mizuki, however, she is not as annoyingly accurate; Mizuki can sometimes read my thoughts down to the letter._

_Will finding out my past change anything in my future…? I honestly have no idea at all; it depends heavily on what I find out about the six blank years of my life before I woke in the home with Vanguard being my only memory. I can recall bits and pieces of Cardfights from those blank years, brief flashes of Genesis, Oracle Think Tank and Jewel Knight cards set up before me, sometimes it is Liberator, PRISM or Eradicator, but those are rarer. I even recall Revenger and Silver Thorn setups, though I have no idea who the Cardfighters using those decks were. Were they all the same person, or were they different?_

"_Vanguard holds the key…" I mumble to myself, this card game is the only link between those six years and my current life. I must search on; I have a feeling that my past is something extremely important…_

_Battle Sister Cookie passes by, her sister Cream by her side as always, and Monaka leaps up immediately. A small smile tugs at the edges of my lips as I watch my avatar challenge the only fighter she has ever lost to in her life to a rematch, determined to prove herself. Laughing it off, Cookie continues on her way, though I do not miss the flicker of fear in her eyes when she strides away as quickly as she can._

_That is strange, why does Cookie feel fear? Monaka is part of the Order now, one of the Battle Sisters; she will not bring her unnecessary harm even in battle! No, it is not about fighting, the flicker in Cookie's eyes stems from something emotional, something deeper…_

_My avatar approaches me with shoulders slumped, a sorrowful look on her usually stoic face, "Why is it that she always looks at me like that?" Confused, I raise one eyebrow at my friend, who explains, "She always looks as if she wants to get away from me as fast as possible… I don't understand why…"_

_She whimpers uncharacteristically, and I wrap one arm around her comfortingly. Burying her face into my shoulder, she presses her cold body against my own and we just sit there in silence, each absorbing the comfort she needed from the other, until our hearts calmed and the threatening tears and confusion faded._

_My only friends are here on Cray, I do not need any others but them and my beloved Mizuki. Humanity cannot be trusted; a darkness from memories of my past assures me that. Humans will hurt me; they will break me down and laugh while they are at it, feeling proud of their "achievement". Around humans from earth, I must always watch my back, unless the human I am with is Mizuki._

"_There is a darkness in your past, Shizuka-chan," Monaka speaks up suddenly, "I fear that you may hurt if you find out the truth." She gently places one hand on my head, looking me in the eyes. "However, if you still wish to seek the truth despite knowing this, I will do all in my power to support you."_

"_T-thank you," I stutter in response, not exactly sure what to say and do. Chuckling, she assures me that it is alright, that it is what friends should do for one another. Friends will stick by each other through thick and thin and will never abandon the other no matter what happens._

"_That is the true meaning of friendship, which humankind on earth has long forgotten." Indeed, Monaka speaks true, for there are so many false friendships in the world fueled by ulterior motives that earth feels darker than Shadow Paladin territory. Of course, since the Shadow Paladins changed and became less evil, the dark reek of their aura has let up quite a lot._

"_However, that girl, Mizuki-san… she is a keeper," Monaka smiles warmly at me, chuckling when I blush a bright scarlet color, "She really loves you, and I know you honestly love her back. Don't ever let her go, Shizuka-chan." The only way Monaka can get a reaction out of me is to mention my girlfriend in any way; I am always embarrassed whenever Mizuki is brought up for some reason._

_I blush, knowing that she is once again speaking the truth. Mizuki is a good person, an honest girl who cares about me as much as I care about her, though she is more capable of showing it. My embarrassment hinders me from speaking out my feelings, but I hope to overcome it someday and tell Mizuki that I love her from the bottom of my heart. Indeed, Mizuki is a keeper, but if she desires to go, I will surely let her go. After all, she is the only human on earth who deserves happiness, and who am I to ever stand in the way?_

_Seated in The Church of the Battle Sisters in Oracle Think Tank territory, Cray, I feel as if I belong perfectly and nothing can ever harm me. Here on Cray, I am safe among friends and allies. Here on Cray, I have absolutely no enemies now that the Void has faded away. Here on Cray, I belong at last…_

**Mizuki's POV**

"Uwaah!" the last member of Team Crescent cries out loudly as the sixth and final damage falls into his damage zone, knocking him out of the game. Scarlet Witch, Coco grins at me approvingly before fading away along with the battlefield. Good, I have managed to please a member of my beloved's Clan; hopefully it will mean that they will say good things about me in Cray.

Holding out my hand to the little boy, I smile, "That was a good game, kid." Using a Liberator of the Sanctuary trial deck, he has managed to give me a relative amount of pressure, considering the fact that he only has one copy of his avatar, Blaster Blade Liberator.

"Good game? You creamed me, senpai," he replies, obviously dissatisfied with himself. It is a good sign, it means that he desires to improve and get even better at Cardfighting. His PSY Qualia feels extremely weak, but considering that I spend all my time with a PSY Qualia user as strong as my Shizuka, it probably is expected that all other PSY Qualias feel weaker in comparison. This kid should be able to sense triggers and trump cards, nothing else; it is good enough for him to become a better Cardfighter than most of the outside world.

"Keep working hard," I tell him encouragingly, "You'll definitely improve." He looks up at me and nods, determination blazing in his light colored eyes, clutching the trial deck to him tightly. "Oh, and a tip, you really should upgrade your decks, all of you." I give the entire Team Crescent a once-over, pointing in the general direction of the card room. I advise them to follow their gut and to listen out for any clues the cards might be trying to give them while they are in the room. "The cards are here to help, and sometimes, they know more than we do."

Grinning, the four boys nod enthusiastically and head off toward the card room immediately. Smiling after them, I probably look like the perfect example of a good elder sister, a sociable and loving girl who likes people and enjoys helping them. However, I absolutely loathe humanity; I just do not show it the way Shizuka does. I hide my hatred inside and act carefree and warm, though I do enjoy playing mind games with people whenever they try to make me lose my cool.

Those little boys in Team Crescent can definitely give any other team in Regionals this year a tough time, none of them are good enough to even be on Team Kuroha's level, and Kuroha is the fourth weakest team here. Kuroha has three girls and one boy in it, the only team with such a high concentration of girls. They all use different Clans, the boy uses an Angel Feather Metatron deck and the girls use Nova Grappler Cosmo Lord, Aqua Force Glory Maelstrom and Murakumo Shirayuki decks respectively. They are all pretty good, and the Shirayuki user is so well-loved by Shirayuki, she can pull of the persona blast at least twice in every game. Well, unless she is playing with Shizuka, because no card in the world will go against my sweetheart…

Speaking of which, I should go and find her and bridal carry her to the bedroom again. I love her reaction whenever I do things like that, she gets embarrassed, turns bright red, calls me "_baka_" repeatedly and then gives in to me while looking away shyly… Shizuka is absolutely irresistible.

I find her on the roof as always, her body in a daze as she wanders Cray in spirit. The moment she shows signs of returning, I scoop her in my arms and begin carrying her down the stairs, chuckling when she realizes where she is and immediately protests, "Mizuki!"

Still grinning victoriously, I carry her into our shared bedroom and shut the door behind us with my elbow, refusing to let my small-sized sweetheart go. Blushing furiously, she mumbles something about getting Dragonic Overlord to fry me if I ever do this again, but I know it is an idle threat. If she meant it, I would have been charred and burned before Regionals even began.

"I love you," I whisper as I flop on to the bed with her in my arms, positioning us in a way that sets me comfortably on top of her, our noses touching. She is blushing so intensely that I can feel the heat from her cheeks against my own; she mumbles almost inaudibly, "_B-baka_…"

I grin and kiss her forehead gently, entwining my legs with hers and pinning her firmly under me so I can freely explore the pale skin of her neck with my lips, with her helpless to do anything but protest. Sucking gently on her sweet skin, I make sure that I will not leave any marks behind; knowing that we have another match tomorrow and the fans will go crazy if they spot a hickey on my sweetheart's neck. She whimpers cutely under me, eyes tightly shut, and when I finally release her pale skin she opens those amazing, night-sky colored orbs and mumbles, "_Baka…_"

Chuckling, I press my lips against hers briefly and then nuzzle her ear gently, enjoying her little whimper. Playfully, I graze my teeth against her earlobe, feeling her shiver below me. "Mizuki…" her adorable whine melts my insides; I kiss her once more just as the door swings open, revealing three of the members of the second strongest team, Team Half-Blood (the three males of the Team adore _Harry Potter_, hence the name).

"Whoops, didn't mean to interrupt your… makeout session," Wesley Seymour, the elder of the Seymour twins, says with a not-so-apologetic grin on his face. He is a relatively tall blonde with amber eyes, and if you ever get pranked in this house, he's the guilty one. Well, either him or his twin sister, Whitney Seymour, who has the same hair and eye color as her brother, just that she keeps hers long and in twin tails.

"You didn't interrupt," I rise from the bed easily, not the type to get embarrassed easily (or at all), "What do you guys want?"

"To give you a challenge," Whitney grins, "Though we're one guy short since Akira's gone out, so let's play three on three."

I shrug, "Once Kei's in bed, you've got better hope for snow in Hell than waking him up. I'll get Haruki; meet you guys at the Sky Stadium?" When they nod in agreement, chuckling at my comment about Kei, I grab my flustered sweetheart's hand and head to the kitchen to separate my brother from his beloved hobby. Practicing for Nationals is much more important than cooking right now, he can cook to his heart's content after we attain victory.

In the Sky Stadium, a Cardfight stadium on the top floor of the apartment with a glass roof, Team Half-Blood is waiting, arms crossed; the fading sunlight warms up the room and creates a rather soothing atmosphere. That is why this is my favorite stadium out of all the ones we have in this apartment, I love the way the time affects the surroundings of the battlefield. "Are you ready for an awesome fight, Angelus?" Wesley asks, taking out his deck with a grin.

"No matter what you do, Angelus always has one confirmed victory," I respond confidently; Shizuka has never lost a Cardfight in her life and never will, it is impossible for her to lose. She has the skill and controls the luck, how in the world can she lose? When she first started playing here, she sometimes made misplays and won by a small margin, but now, she always wins hands down.

"Hey, Angel boy, are you up for a round?" Wesley walks up to the fight table, my brother shrugs and obliges him. On the field, two units appear, ready to engage in combat. A blue haired knight and a small, blue winged angel face off in silence, both determined to emerge victorious.

…

It was a close game indeed, but Haruki manages to win thanks to a lucky double Critical that saved him. If he had not finished Wesley off that turn, he would have lost the game. Good naturedly, the half-American boy accepts his defeat and saunters off the field, asking his younger sister who she would like to play against.

"Mizuki-senpai," Whitney is a rather huge fan of mine, though I cannot say her affections are even the least bit appreciated. Her PSY Qualia is slightly stronger than her brother's, but she is controlled by it instead of the other way around. On the field, she can become quite the frightening sadist, something like that famous Cardfighter from Team AL4, Suzugamori Ren-san.

I step onto the field lazily and allow the flow of the fight to carry me away, completely unaffected by Whitney's sadistic laughter as she presumes the game has ended in her favor. "Boosted by Charon, my avatar, Darkness Maiden Macha attacks your Vanguard!" With two Critical triggers pumped into her, it seems that I will be unable to guard as I have only two hand cards and one intercepting unit.

"Mermaid Idol Elly will guard that," I respond smoothly, "I drop one card from my hand to nullify your attack." The dark, triumphant, power-mad look on her face fades as I stand and draw; she will not be able to handle my assault this turn. "H-how…? I had you cornered there…" Elly is one of the cards that came in my first draw, and I have kept her secretly until that point where I knew I needed it most.

"**Final Turn!**" it is my turn to say these words to her; I sadistically enjoy the look of horror and disbelief on her face. Whitney has PSY Qualia stronger than Haruki's, but she is still weak as she is easily delusioned by her own power and forgets all about the enemy's ability to go against it. Unlike Shizuka, she does not gather courage and comfort from Cray, instead absorbing the cruel darkness of the Shadow Paladin's blood-soaked territory to feel powerful.

"You wanted to get out of your brother's shadow?" I taunt, "Keep dreaming, Whitney, it'll never come true." I am a naturally sadistic person, as I have no liking for humans and do not mind if they die terribly in a hole. My goddess, sweet little Shizuka, is the only exception.

The young blonde hisses with annoyance, her eyes glowing insanely; I can feel Wesley's disapproving gaze upon me but I do not care. _Get in my way and I'll hurt you too, I have no qualms with breaking you both at my pleasure._

"Boosted by Sedna, PRISM-Image, Rosa attacks your Vanguard. Rosa's skill activates, she gains 3000 power." The pink haired mermaid leaps from the water, her body outlined with a glowing white. Whitney hisses, looking like a cornered cat, "Grim Reaper will guard that!"

Shrugging, I calmly move on, "Boosted by PRISM-Image, Clear, Top Idol Pacifica attacks your Vanguard." The sweet little blonde mermaid leaps up at the dark knight, swinging her staff and guiding her homing missile-like penguins.

Whitney looks at the cards in her hand; it is obvious to the both of us that she cannot guard. In her hand, she has one Grade 3 and one Grade 2 from her last drive check, and if I recall correctly, the last card in her hand is a Grade 1 from her drive check two turns ago. She also has one intercepting unit on the field, not that it will help her.

"Black Sage, Charon and Darkness Maiden Macha will guard that," she throws down two cards from her hand; it turns out that I was right. The penguins explode into fluffy smoke, causing the two guarding units to cry out in pain and fade away from the battlefield.

"Eternal Idol's Limit Break. I counterblast three and return PRISM-Image, Rosa and PRISM-Image, Clear to my hand. Clear's skill activates, I soulblast one card and Eternal Idol gains 4000 power." A white light surrounds my Vanguard as I continue, "I superior call Mermaid Idol Flute from my deck." In the pink haired mermaid's recently vacated spot, a new mermaid in a blue outfit appears. "Boosted by Sedna, Eternal Idol Pacifica swings at your Vanguard."

Whitney mumbles a few curse words a fifteen year old should not know and declares, "No guard."

"Drive trigger check, first check: Drive Quartet, Ressac. Get, Stand trigger, I give the power to Flute and stand Sedna. Second check: Drive Quartet, Flows. Get, Heal trigger, I heal one point of damage and give the power to Flute." Even with a Heal trigger, Whitney will not survive this turn. She will need two to get out of this alive, and even if she does, my hand size has increased and I should be able to weather out her next onslaught.

"Damage trigger check: Abyss Freezer. I lose," the eerie light in her amber eyes dies out, and her brother rushes to her side just as the young blonde's legs fold under her. She can be a formidable opponent, but Whitney must first learn to control her PSY Qualia. If not, she will never be able to fight as an equal by her brother's side.

"Damn, I lost control again?!" Whitney explodes; I turn away from the blonde twins as the last present member of both Teams step up to the fight table. This is going to be a boring match; its outcome has already been ascertained.

Lori Shiazin is a half-Chinese eighteen year old who is slightly shorter than Shizuka (it's just a 1 centimeter difference), with long black hair and crimson red eyes much darker than my own blood red. Tanned and a bulky sort of muscular, the teenager is nearly always frowning; she does not exactly like to talk and is nearly always hostile to everyone she meets. Lori has words to say, a lot of them, in fact, but they can be extremely straightforward and scathing, which is why we are glad that she usually does not make the effort to say them.

"Stand up, my Vanguard!" "Stand up, the Vanguard!"

"Battle Sister Waffle." "Liberator, Cheer Up Trumpeter!"

Silently, the rest of us watch as the two fighters begin, Lori taking the first turn. Looking at her hand, she suddenly spits venomously at Shizuka, "You're using your powers to gain unfair advantages again, aren't you? I ride Halo Liberator, Mark! Cheer Up Trumpeter moves to rearguard."

Silently, my beloved draws a card; I have no idea if she is not offended, if she cannot find the words to respond with or if she is unable to find the courage to voice them. Before she can ride, Battle Sister Waffle speaks up, "Shizuka-sama is simply using her abilities. Is it her fault that she is stronger than you? Must she hold back her strength due to your weakness? If so, is that not being unfair to Shizuka-sama?"

Lori is speechless, unable to believe that a card has just spoken to defend her user. In two turns, the game ends in my silver haired beauty's favor, quick and easy, as her opponent cannot get her hands on a Grade 2 unit and is trapped as a weak Perfect Guard with a 6000 base power.

Shizuka makes a beeline for me immediately after keeping her cards, ignoring all the others in her way. Once the Cardfight is over, that sense of belonging and courage that it gave her completely fades away, and my Shizuka will immediately become shy, fragile and reserved once more.

Lori heads over to us, obviously unhappy about what she feels was a "misuse of PSY Qualia" to obtain easy victory. My sweetheart ignores her and sticks to my side, looking at the floor, and Lori shouts, "Hey, I have to talk to you, kid. You can't get away with abusing PSY Qualia like that!"

Shizuka's response is to press herself into me fearfully, not wanting to be touched and wishing the black haired girl would just disappear. Calmly, I respond to the riled up Half-Blood member, "Shizu isn't abusing her power any more than you are. You can sense triggers and trump cards and hear their voices calling out, can't you? If my Shizu is indeed guilty, any normal player can say you are abusing your powers just because they don't have them."

Before she can open her mouth, I continue, "Also, my Shizu didn't intend for the rest of your bad luck to happen. You insulting her just pissed the units off, so they reacted in her defense. They're all suck ups, so it isn't really her fault that she can't be defeated."

This argument silences the dark haired girl, who suddenly looks thoughtful. She gazes closely at Shizuka, who presses herself into me even tighter, and then apologizes formally, leaving the room. The Seymour twins look embarrassed by their teammate's behavior and apologize profusely, but I just wave them off and thank them for the interesting game.

I understand how frustrated a fighter can get playing against an opponent they cannot beat simply because they always have rotten luck. Even if they do get good luck, hers will be miles better; the cards will always ensure that as they want to please her. Of course, Shizuka has more than enough skill to make it on her own; add that to her power and you have an absolutely undefeatable player. Card games are half luck and half skill, and when you have both in spades, you are going to be a tough opponent.

I do not blame Lori, she has been trying so hard to elevate her Team to the top spot, but Shizuka always stands in her way, an immovable block. Years of frustration must have bubbled to the surface today; I am not worried about it happening again as Lori is not a cruel girl deep down. Still… I should have a word with her boyfriend, Akira Nian, she seems worked up lately and he should be able to help calm her down.

Maybe the weakness of the Teams in the Regional tournament is getting on her nerves, it must be frustrating to see Teams so much weaker than you moving forward in the competition that you want to enter but have been forbidden from doing so. Master only wants his best Team out there getting the public's attention. If he allowed Team Half-Blood to attend the tournament, every other Team here would want to compete too, and if they do get fans (which most of them definitely will), this house will get stalked by 10 Teams' fan bases worth of frightening fangirls and fanboys. That would be absolutely terrifying; at least with only 1 Team's fan base knocking on the door, Master can keep them out and protect our privacy and way of life.

Sighing deeply, I wonder why none of the Teams at the tournaments can be half as good as Team Half-Blood. They are all weak and cannot even entertain us, what is the goddess-damned point of playing with such worms? Why the heck did we bother entering the tournament anyway…? Oh yeah, because Master said we had to…

**AN: Here is the next character description. Feel free to use the deck list provided if you wish to build a Battle Sister deck! Also, please review! They motivate me to get to work even though I'm extremely busy now, with the major examinations just two months away... Haruka~**

_**Tsukino Shizuka**_

_**Age: 16**_

_**Height: 156cm / 5 ft. 1 in.**_

_**Weight: 41kg / 90lb**_

_**Birthday: 30 October**_

_**Personality: Shy and reserved, she prefers silence and loathes human company with a passion. She has difficulty finding the right words to say and has an even larger challenge speaking them, which is why she prefers giving others the cold shoulder. When Cardfighting, she becomes more confident and comfortable, for she knows it is impossible for her to lose.**_

_**Appearance: Long silver hair, large dark purple eyes flecked with silver like stars, alabaster skin and sweet, youthful features, she is beautiful and adorable. Her usual outfit is a black crop top, a red hooded jacket several sizes too big for her, black shorts with a white belt and fur-trimmed black boots to mid-calf.**_

_**Strength of PSY Qualia: Highest. She has befriended every single unit in Cray and they all vie for her attention. She can also physically possess a unit from Cray, bringing that unit to Earth.**_

_**Clan: Oracle Think Tank**_

_**Deck list:**_

_**G0:**_

_**Battle Sister Waffle x 1**_

_**Psychic Bird [Critical] x 4**_

_**Battle Sister Ginger [Critical] x 4**_

_**Battle Sister Tiramisu [Draw] x 4**_

_**Lozenge Magus [Heal] x 4**_

_**G1:**_

_**Oracle Guardian, Gemini x 4**_

_**Dark Cat x 2**_

_**Battle Sister Lemonade x 2**_

_**Battle Sister Cocoa x 3**_

_**Battle Sister Chocolat x 3**_

_**G2:**_

_**Silent Tom x 2**_

_**Battle Sister Tart x 3**_

_**Battle Sister Macaron x 4**_

_**Battle Sister Cocotte x 3**_

_**G3:**_

_**Battle Sister Monaka x 4**_

_**Battle Sister Parfait x 3**_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's the next installment of Destiny! I hope it is enjoyable for you all:) I have started work on building my Battle Sister deck, and I hope Monaka will love me as much as she loves Shizuka!**

**To StattStatt, I am glad that you liked it! Reading your review really made my day! Morikawa is most likely not going to show up; he probably killed himself after Kourin died (good riddance to him).**

**To Blackwing-Darkraven, I am glad that you enjoyed the way your OCs were used! I am sorry about mixing up their nationalities; can I make them half of each?**

**To rcybs, glad that you liked how Lori was in this story. I hope you will enjoy this chapter, though your OCs are not in it.**

**To Mirakurun26, my OTT Tsukuyomi deck has only one Goddess of the Full Moon in it, and one Silent Tom (Toms are hard to get your hands on). How do you work with only four Grade 3s?**

**Haruka**

**Shizuka's POV**

The overly loud and cheerful emcee screams into the microphone to welcome the twelve remaining teams to the second round of Regionals, where all winners qualify for Nationals. There are too many challengers nowadays to have only one team per region advancing, and that has caused the level of Cardfighting to drop. It will be a tag team battle, best out of three, where Cardfighters can play multiple rounds in a row if they wish. I wish he will either stop shouting into the darn microphone or not use it at all; I am going to go deaf at this rate.

The first round is between Team Athena and Team Wildshot, the Kagero users back from Block A's first fight. Team Athena consists of a bunch of Genesis users with a sizable level of skill, and they easily cream Team Wildshot in two short, uneventful games. One of them uses Artemis' skill to hit numbers that make his opponent's jaw drop, while the other uses Iwanagahime to soulblast in large amounts to retire her opponent's front row rearguards, gain a 5000 power up and fill up the empty slots in her field using Witch of Crows, Chamomile and Witch of Frogs, Melissa's skills. The Iwanagahime user was giving Kagero a taste of their own rearguard-burning medicine, which they obviously did not appreciate.

Though the members of Team Athena are pretty formidable players, against us they will not be able to go far. This team will be of no threat in Nationals, we can easily blow them away.

The next round is between a Team Magma (someone watched a little too much _Pokémon_) and Team Emperor. Magma consists of teenage boys playing with Kagero or Narukami decks, while Emperor is comprised of four Dimension Police fighters. Team Emperor wins easily, with a helping hand from the Magma boys' cocky attitude, and I can hear Dragonic Overlord and Eradicator Dragonic Descendant complaining about the disgraceful fights they had to endure, demanding I avenge them. Mizuki is alerted to my predicament and leans in to sweep me away from the land of Cray, wrapping an arm around my waist gently. I blush intensely and protest, though I am secretly grateful for her help and honestly enjoy her embrace.

The still way too loud for my comfort emcee screams into the microphone again that the third round is between Team Charisma, this year's favorite team, and Team Angelus. Eyeing the four-man team standing opposite us, Haruki mutters that we cannot afford to play around, for they are definitely fighters with a level of skill most of the other players lacked. Kei shrugs, not at all daunted, and Mizuki assures him that there is no hope in Hell that we can lose this. She says we have a better chance waking Kei up at midnight, and everyone knows that is impossible. It is hard enough getting him out of bed in the afternoon.

"Playing for Team Charisma, Yokune Akihisa and Gary Andrews!" a dark haired Japanese boy and a blonde foreigner step up to the fight tables as the emcee shouts into the unnecessary microphone, "And for Team Angelus, we have Kita Haruki and Hisakawa Kei!" Loud cheers echo throughout the stadium, making me cringe; Mizuki chuckles and "helpfully" places her hands over my ears.

I miss most of the fight as Mizuki is constantly teasing me, tickling me, ruffling my hair and calling me a _tsundere_, pressing kisses into the pale skin of my neck whenever she gets the chance… Flustered and thoroughly embarrassed, I try to push her away and get her to behave herself, my mind scrambling all over the place at Mizuki's actions. "We're in _public_, Mizuki! Behave…" My rebuke sounds weak despite the strength I have tried to force into it, making her chuckle. She knows I am sensitive, overly so, and she loves using it to her advantage.

"Fine, I'll stop. But you'll pay me back in bed tonight," she purrs seductively, my only response is to close my eyes and whimper, shuddering slightly. I think I will not be getting much sleep tonight…

When I pay attention to the fight again, Kei is ending it off with Eradicator Vowing Saber Dragon "Reverse", having activated both the break ride and Eradicator Blade Hang Dracokid's skills this turn. His opponent throws down enough shield to evade the attack without any triggers, but Kei pulls a Critical and deals a nice lot of damage to an enemy already on their last life.

The crowd roars with delight and surprise at Angelus' victory, we are a new team and are virtually unheard of by people outside of our region and were not expected to be very good. Our Team's fans, however, are shrieking 'I told you so's to friends and other viewers, and some are already chanting Mizuki and I's names excitedly. Haruki heaves a sigh of relief as he walks back with an already yawning Kei, glad to see that our opponents were not much of a threat.

Kei flops back on the couch in the waiting area lazily and tells us, "Make the fight long, okay? I want a good nap."

Mizuki says she can make no promises, for games with me in it usually end quickly, for my _skill_ always puts enemies at terrible disadvantages. They never manage to drive-check triggers and usually never see a Heal for the entire game when they play against me, while I am pulling constant Criticals and Draws and Heals when I need them. When I beat my opponents, I usually have enough hand cards to last two more turns against them without attacking at all.

"Now, from Team Charisma we have Kenneth Arthur and their leader, the talented Joseph Lim! From Team Angelus, we have Kita Mizuki and their leader, the Frozen Princess Tsukino Shizuka!" The crowd roars in anticipation, fans shrieking our names in eager delight. I recognize most of them as patrons from that card shop we frequent, even the shopkeeper is standing there with a large placard; I wish they would tone it down.

"Heh, you ladies think you can take down Team Charisma? You ain't got a chance," my opponent, Joseph, sneers at us. Gesturing to me, the boy says cockily, "Hey, pretty lady, after I win, I can take you out for dinner. Sound good to you?"

I ignore him completely, focusing on shuffling my deck quietly. Mizuki is resisting the urge to snap that boy's head off for making a move at her girl; she is adorably possessive at times even though she knows she has no competition at all. Though I will not ever admit it, I find it rather endearing that she is slightly possessive of me; it makes me feel loved and wanted. Even before we were together, back when we were six or seven years old, Mizuki was determined to get as much of my attention as possible and moped about whenever I was not giving it to her.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Joseph shouts, unnerved by my silence; I give him the cold shoulder and set my deck on the table, ready to draw my starting hand.

"My Shizu isn't very fond of communication," Mizuki speaks up at last, having tolerated enough, "I would appreciate if we started the fight now; you did come here for a Cardfight, didn't you? If not, the whorehouse's in the next town, so hands off my girl."

"Your girl?" he looks at us incredulously, and then shakes his head, "We're gonna wipe the floor with you dykes."

That comment made me decide to 'cheat' a little; I send a message to my opponent's units ordering them to give them the worst possible rides as much as possible and to allow them to miss grades once or twice. How dare that useless, weak excuse of a Cardfighter call my Mizuki a dyke? I am almost tempted to make them all completely miss Grade 1s like that newbie I beat upside down, but I decide to give them a small chance to make the game slightly more interesting.

The chorus of agreement from Cray fills me with courage as we flip over our starting Vanguards, welcoming a piece of Cray onto our pathetic planet. _The two of you will be having plenty of fun today, Team Charisma; nothing is going to go your way._

"Stand up, the Vanguard!" "Stand up, my Vanguard!"

"Stand up, Vanguard!" "Stand up, the Vanguard!"

"Bermuda Triangle Cadet, Weddell." "Battle Sister Waffle."

"Little Witch Lulu!" "Bermuda Triangle Cadet, Riviere!"

The game begins with me and the boy Kenneth will be getting the first attack. "I draw," calmly, I examine my perfect hand and choose, "I ride Dark Cat. We both may draw a card. Waffle moves to rearguard." A small black and purple cat appears in a flash of white light, and the equally small young nun moves behind the cat. "I end my turn."

_Shizuka: Front: RG-Dark Cat-RG Back: RG-Battle Sister Waffle-RG Hand: 6 Damage: 0_

That annoying Team leader takes his turn, a concerned look on his face, "I draw and ride, Mermaid Idol Elly! Bermuda Triangle Cadet, Riviere moves to rearguard." A beautiful pink haired mermaid sitting in a clam appears, the young blonde mermaid from before taking a backseat. "Turn end." He has already missed the first leg of his ride chain and rode a Perfect Guard, he must not be very happy.

_Joseph: Front: RG-Mermaid Idol Elly-RG Back: RG-Bermuda Triangle Cadet, Riviere-RG Hand: 6 Damage: 0_

"I draw," Mizuki begins her turn, "And I ride Mermaid Idol Sedna. Weddell moves to rearguard. I call Mermaid Idol Felucca: her skill, I soulcharge one card. Using Weddell's skill, I move her to soul and return Felucca to hand. I call her again and soulcharge once more." On the field, a pink haired mermaid stands on center stage, a green haired mermaid with a large chest standing right behind her. Joseph and Kenneth's jaws have dropped, they obviously did not expect Mizuki to start soulcharging so effectively so early in the game.

_Mizuki: Front: RG-Mermaid Idol Sedna-RG Back: RG-Mermaid Idol Felucca-RG Hand: 4 Damage: 0_

"Draw," the final Cardfighter of the game begins his turn, "I ride Battle Sister Chocolat, who attacks your Vanguard." Mizuki does not bother to guard the attack, which is unable to get through as no trigger appears in the drive check, unsurprisingly.

_Kenneth: Front: RG-Battle Sister Chocolat-RG Back: RG-RG-RG Hand: 5 Damage: 0_

"I draw," I start my turn, "I ride Battle Sister Tart." A silver haired elf with a huge gun on her shoulder takes the place of the small cat. "I call Battle Sister Macaron." Another nun with two guns this time appears on the field, and I begin my attack, "Waffle boosts, Tart attacks your Vanguard." The bullet passes through without any resistance, smashing into the young mermaid. "Drive trigger check: Get, Draw trigger. I give the power to Macaron and I draw one card. Macaron swings in at your Vanguard." Again, the bullets strike their target with ease, and I end my turn.

_Shizuka: Front: Battle Sister Macaron-Battle Sister Tart-RG Back: RG-Battle Sister Waffle-RG Hand: 7 Damage: 0_

"I draw!" he curses, unable to get a Grade 2 unit. "I call Mermaid Idol, Sedna! Boosted by Riviere, Elly attacks your Vanguard!" The bad luck is only just beginning for Team Charisma…

…

"**Final Turn!**" with Mizuki's Limit Break and double Stand triggers the last turn, our opponents have scrambled to use up almost everything they have in self-defense. They had pretty bad luck, one missing Grade 2 for two turns and the other missing Grade 3 for one. Nothing looks good for them right now, and they both know it. Both of them have 10,000 base Vanguards, while Mizuki has a 13,000 base Vanguard and mine is 11,000; it is obvious who has to guard more.

"Activating Battle Sister Monaka's Persona Blast," I check the top five cards of my deck and add Chocolat and Silent Tom to my hand, returning the other three, all triggers, to the bottom. "Once more," I activate it again and add Monaka and Psychic Bird to my hand, "Once more." With those last five cards, I have almost completely pushed up the first three triggers I had stacked using Monaka at the beginning. Here is where Psychic Bird comes in handy. "Call, Psychic Bird. Activating its skill, I move it to soul and draw one card. Call, Battle Sister Lemonade, I soulblast two cards and unflip two damage." The young pink haired nun appears, grinning, in a circle of bright light.

"I retire Lemonade and call Silent Tom," the suited gunman with a lady on his shoulder appears in the small nun's place, pushing up his sunglasses with one hand coolly. "Boosted by Gemini, Monaka attacks your Vanguard. I activate Monaka's special counterblast, she gains an additional 5000 power."

"Perfect defense with Mermaid Idol, Elly!" that leaves him with only two cards in his hand (both Grade 0s) and one intercept, and his friend has only one Grade 3 in his hand. With the two triggers guaranteed in my drive check, he will not be surviving this turn.

"Drive trigger check, first check: get, Critical trigger, all effects to Silent Tom. Second check: get, Critical trigger, all effects to Battle Sister Macaron. Boosted by Gemini, Silent Tom takes aim at your Vanguard." Before he can say anything, I tell him, "You have lost, worthless worm. You weren't even worth my time."

He snarls but declares no guard; Silent Tom's useful effect turned the Grade 0s in his hand into deadweights. With a cry of pain, my opponent falls to his knees, the agony of Silent Tom's bullet stinging his pathetically weak body. The field fades from my sight and Cray's magical hold loosens around me; I immediately keep my cards and turn to leave the field as quickly as I can while the crowd cheers admiringly.

"Oi!" I ignore the boy's call and allow Mizuki to deal with him, not wanting to have to talk to anyone. Returning to the waiting room, I watch silently as my girlfriend leaves that boy stuttering with a scathing comment, leaving Haruki to try wake that darn sleepyhead Kei.

Suddenly remembering my beloved's words, I realize that I am probably going to be sleepier than Kei tomorrow, if Mizuki does do what she implied she will in bed tonight…

**Kei's POV**

That darn Mizuki gave me another kick in the gut to wake me up; I think I am going to have bruises for a while. Damn, that girl has the strength of a monster. Does she work out or something…? I will not be surprised if she did, she loves to fight both physically and using cards; back when we were kids, she was the one in the "Time Out" corner most for beating people who disturbed Shizuka-san upside down.

When we get back to the apartment, Master calls for us to meet him in the kitchen before I can head upstairs for a nice long nap. Grumbling to myself, I drag my lazy butt to the table and slump in a chair, already looking forward to a few days' worth of quality sleep as Nationals is not until two or three days (I am too lazy to find out exactly when it is).

"I'm really proud of you guys!" Master smiles at us warmly; we just stare at him blankly and wait for him to get on with it. Affection is not exactly something we have for him, we are grateful for what he has done for us, but we do not think of him as a replacement parent or anything. "I've got you tickets to the Aquarium downtown for tomorrow, and I'm going to give you all three thousand yen each. Enjoy yourselves and buy what you like!"

With that, he dumps the tickets in our hands and heads off to wherever it is that he spends most of his time. Mizuki is obviously happy and eager to go, her Clan consists of underwater creatures after all, she is almost bouncing on the spot. "We're all going, aren't we?" she asks, an edge of joy in her normally cool voice.

I shrug, "I would rather sleep, but, I do want to see some sharks." I can laze around at some shark exhibit and leave the kids to their wandering about, and maybe I'll be able to watch someone feed those killer fish. It will definitely be cool to see sharks in a bloody feeding frenzy.

Shizuka-san gets up to leave, obviously not wanting to come, and Mizuki grabs her wrist. "You are coming with us, sweetie, that's an order." The silver haired girl stammers her girlfriend's name in protest, but said blonde gets her way because we all know Shizuka-san can never resist her.

"I'm in," Haruki says cheerfully, "I'll stick with Kei-kun in case you want to do _something_ with Shizuka-sama, _nee-san_." I burst out laughing when I realize what he is implying while Mizuki thanks him for the suggestion; Shizuka-san blushes a deep red but does not say a word.

She rarely says anything, our Shizuka-san, she is much too shy to muster the courage to speak up and she always has trouble finding the words to express what she wants to say. Hence, she either stays silent or says one of two words, "Mizuki" or "_baka_". She hardly says anything else unless she is in a Cardfight, where she gains confidence from Cray; you can ask her a simple question like "what would you like to eat?" and she will not be able to tell you, even if you are asking her to choose between two options.

"Well, I'm off to bed," I yawn, heading toward my room. Haruki sighs and mumbles something about my sleeping habit while the two lovebirds ignore me, heading up to their room together. Mizuki purrs something with an extremely sexual innuendo and Shizuka-san blushes furiously as they walk by me. She said something like "May I eat you up tonight?" I think…

To my surprise, instead of shouting her girlfriend's name in protest, the little silver haired girl stutters, "…A-as you… w-wish…" It is barely audible but Mizuki and I definitely heard it; the blonde looks a little surprised but does not stay so for long. Her smile morphs into something predatory, burning with lust; oh boy, is Shizuka-san in for a _long_ night. Damn, I think there are people who will kill to be in either of their places right now… Well, I have to admit, the two of them are pretty good-looking, but I value my life enough not to get interested in either of them. Especially not Shizuka-san, that girl will kill anyone but Mizuki without batting an eyelash.

In this Team, we mostly call each other by our names without honorifics since we have lived together for almost our entire lives. Only Haruki insists on keeping them when he speaks to us, and only Mizuki is allowed to call Shizuka-san by her name without them. Mizuki is a tomboyish girl who does not particularly care whether I use a honorific or not, so I save time and effort by dropping it completely.

Stretching lazily, I head to my room to get my long-awaited rest for the day. The only relationship I am in is the one with my bed, and nothing can get between us. Well, I will be getting out of it to see some sharks tomorrow… Sorry babe, but sharks are downright awesome in a world where dragons do not exist.

_-On Cray-_

_Gathered at a round table are all the leaders of every Clan in Cray, all at an extremely rare state of peace and agreement. Brows furrowed, the King of Knights, Alfred, speaks, "This is indeed a grave piece of information. If it is true… I shudder to think of what we may have to face."_

_The Dark Dictator nods in agreement, it is rather rare to see him not at his light counterpart's throat, "Are you sure of this, Amaterasu-sama?" Now, what they are discussing is much more important than petty Clan rivalries, every single Clan is aware of it and they are all at their best behavior._

_The beautiful goddess nods gravely, not wanting to lie to soothe her fellow leaders. This is a serious issue that needs to be discussed; the entire destiny of Cray depends on the final outcome of this prophecy. Battle Deity of the Night, Artemis, the representative of Genesis, asks, "What should we do about this?"_

_Eternal Idol Pacifica speaks in an uncharacteristically serious tone, "We can only watch and wait, and hope." A few of the other leaders explode into argument at that, unable to believe that they are helpless to defend their own planet. To only be able to wait, no one could be content with that when such a terrible destiny loomed over them!_

"_The entire planet's at stake more than ever, Pacifica-sama, you cannot possibly suggest we be like sitting ducks!" Dragonic Overlord protests, slamming a large fist into the round table and nearly breaking it; Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion seems to agree with him._

_Calmly, Shirayuki of the Murakumo Clan assures them, "We are not being sitting ducks, sirs, we are simply not jumping to conclusions. Amaterasu-sama did say it was a hunch, and until proven otherwise, we shall treat it as such."_

"_Wise idea, Shirayuki-sama," Amaterasu nods approvingly, watching as the Clan leaders slowly gather their wits about them. It is a terrifying thought indeed; could that prophecy really be unfolding? Those four… could they be the heroes the prophecy dictated would save both Earth and Cray?_

"_Goddess' aide is cold as ice_

_Seeking what she'll hurt to find_

_Idols' voice is larger than life_

_Gentle to those in her heart_

_Dragons' knight is too laid back_

_A raging beast to all his foes_

_Angels' light is always warm_

_Kind and sweet yet lightning fast."_

_Indeed, those four fit the descriptions of the prophecy perfectly, there is a very high chance that they are the heroes Cray has been anticipating yet dreading the arrival of. For when they come, it means Cray will face a terrible danger that they must try their best to combat, yet it also means that Cray has hope of winning an otherwise hopeless battle._

"_The prophecy said that this danger would be far worse than the Void," Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Luquier, representative from the Pale Moon Clan, speaks up, making them all shudder as they recall her terrifying Reversal, "Should we all make preparations of some sort?"_

"_Unfortunately, the danger is unspecified, so we can only make security preparations at best," Liberator of the Round Table, Alfred, says gravely, "However, it is a fair idea, Luquier-sama." The other Clan leaders begin to mumble among themselves, asking one another for ideas on increasing security measures in their homelands._

_It is rare to see all the Clans of Cray acting so civilly to one another, it pains Amaterasu to see that only tragedy and danger can make them this way. In times of peace, they are always bristling at one another, typical meetings usually end with the host Clan having to replace the broken or torched round table, sometimes even the entire room as a fight destroyed it._

"_I suggest that each of the four Clans mentioned in the prophecy keep an eye on said fighter," Amaterasu speaks up, "Oracle Think Tank, Bermuda Triangle, Narukami and Angel Feathers shall take the responsibility to warn all other Clans at the slightest sign of danger. I will relay this order to Battle Sister Monaka as soon as possible."_

_Eternal Idol Pacifica, Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion and Solidify Celestial, Zerachiel all nod in agreement, perfectly fine with what they have to do. Vermillion assures them that he will inform Vowing Sword Dragon to watch the young fighter carefully; they are all willing to cooperate as they all know they would have no land to fight in otherwise._

"_Your fighter will still be granted free access to all territories of Cray," both Alfreds inform Amaterasu together, "I trust that no one has any objections to her continued visits?"_

_As expected, silence greets the question, the child who might be the Goddess' aide mentioned in the prophecy is much too well-loved for any Clan to turn away. On the contrary, nearly every Clan is trying to attract her to them and away from her beloved Oracle Think Tank, they all desperately long for her presence._

_Rising, the host of today's meeting, Liberator of the Round Table, Alfred, declares it over and welcomes his guests to leave, escorted by Gold Paladin soldiers who will keep an eye on them. Amaterasu is assigned Blaster Blade Liberator, who respectfully leads her toward the border of her territory._

"_Amaterasu-sama, if I may," the young knight breaks the silence just before she leaves his territory, "How much trust have you in your fighter?" It seems that Blaster Blade Liberator has already assumed the prophecy to be unfolding, and he seems worried and frustrated that the Liberators cannot do anything but watch and wait. They had played a huge part in freeing Cray from the Void, after all, and none of the golden knights could accept that they could now do nothing. They were heroes, heroes were supposed to help save the world!_

"_I will trust her with my life," the goddess responds without a moment's hesitation, "Thank you and farewell, young knight." As she says those words, a bright light engulfs her, swallowing her beautiful figure, and throws him back from the Oracle's border. Magic-infused borders are what have kept the Oracle Think Tank Clan so secretive for so long, no one but Oracle Think Tank members can pass through the border freely. Everyone else will be thrown back the way he came with immense momentum._

_Rising from the ground, brushing dirt and leaves from his armor, the young knight hopes that Cray will be able to overcome the new threat that has risen to greet them. They have already survived the Void, despite many casualties, but this has been guaranteed to be stronger and more devastating than the Void should it succeed; there will be no chance of reversing the effects of this enemy. If this danger is not stopped, the damage will be irreversible, and all of Cray and Earth will become casualties..._

_Will Cray really be able to survive this?_

**A/N: Here is the third character list! Again, feel free to use the deck list if you wish, though it may not be very good because I do not play Dragonic Empire decks.**

_**Hisakawa Kei**_

_**Age: 17**_

_**Height: 169cm / 5 ft. 6 in.**_

_**Weight: 55kg / 121lb**_

_**Birthday: 4 February**_

_**Personality: Laidback, funny and relaxed, he is always trying to crack jokes or lazing about. He loves to sleep and can sleep practically anywhere. He sees Shizuka as a little sister, though she does not return the sentiment. In a Cardfight, he can be cold and ruthless.**_

_**Appearance: Short and spiky red hair, tan skin, emerald eyes, he is muscular despite the fact that he is sleeping most of the time. His usual outfit is a crumpled and baggy long sleeved black shirt, camouflage print pants and military boots.**_

_**Strength of PSY Qualia: Medium. He can only go as far as to predict the next card by hearing its voice or seeing its image.**_

_**Clan: Narukami**_

_**Deck list:**_

_**G0:**_

_**Eradicator, Blade Hang Dracokid x 1**_

_**Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle [Critical] x 4**_

_**Divine Spear Eradicator, Pollux [Critical] x 4**_

_**Eradicator, Spy Eye Dragoon [Stand] x 4**_

_**Poisonous Snake Eradicator, Seiobo [Heal] x 4**_

_**G1:**_

_**Eradicator, Demolition Dragon x 4**_

_**Eradicator of Fire, Kohkaiji x 2**_

_**Iron Blood Eradicator, Shuki x 3**_

_**Suppression Eradicator, Dokkasei x 2**_

_**Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld x 3**_

_**G2:**_

_**Fiendish Sword Eradicator, Cho-Ou x 4**_

_**Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon x 4**_

_**Supreme Army Eradicator, Zuitan x 4**_

_**G3:**_

_**Eradicator, Vowing Sword Dragon x 3**_

_**Eradicator, Vowing Saber Dragon "Reverse" x 4**_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here is the next installment of Destiny! I hope that you guys will enjoy this! I have finished some Math and have rewarded myself by getting a few hours of writing done:)**

**To StattStatt, thanks for the review! I am glad you find Mizuki and Shizuka adorable, I find them very loveable. Also, sleeping is one of the best things ever, Kei definitely knows how to live :D**

**To Maiden Warrior, the Yaoi is coming here, Kai x Aichi, though it is not too obvious because… I don't really like Yaoi (sue me, Yaoi fangirls).**

**Haruka**

**Mizuki's POV**

Despite my excitement to visit the Aquarium, the long and exhausting night with Shizuka drains me and I am only able to open my eyes at eleven. My sweetheart remains asleep for half an hour or so longer, I might have pushed her a little too far last night... I remain in bed cuddling her until she rises, blushing intensely when she notices the marks on her neck and stomach. Grinning, I grab my brother and embark on a mission to separate Kei from his bed as Shizuka hits the shower (after she hit me for all the marks I left). Since it is Autumn, her jacket will be zipped up most of the time, so the hickeys on her stomach should not be a problem even though her crop top reveals them.

A few well-placed kicks are all it takes to wake that lazy redhead; he grumbles about it and curses me for being too violent and energetic but gets up anyway. After a quick meal, cooked by Haruki as usual, we all get on our way, eager to take our minds off the terrible Cardfighting we witnessed in Regionals.

We decide to hire a taxi as crowded public transport is not exactly the best place for my Shizuka, who treasures physical contact so highly that she will easily attack others who touch her. Also, boys cannot seem to keep their hands off her, worsening the situation. She can break five wrists in a single trip on the train, and sometimes she breaks fingers, arms and ribs too. Train trips are much too traumatizing and should be avoided at all costs.

The taxi deposits us at the brightly colored entrance to the Aquarium, and the cabby asks us if we are on a double date. Kei and Haruki begin coughing, and I explain coolly that Shizuka is my girlfriend while the two boys are not very interested in one another so no; it is not a double date. Leaving the stunned and apologetic cabby sputtering in his seat, we cheerfully head toward the patterned Aquarium gates.

Dragging my Shizuka into the magnificent building, I easily forget about the boys and leave them to their shark gazing as I immerse myself in the wonderful aquatic world of Earth. It is not as wonderful as Cray's, where mermaids, mermen and sea dragons exist, but it is wonderful nevertheless.

Brilliantly colored fishes swim among equally colorful corals; completely at home in their constructed environments and thriving despite the fact they were separated from the sea. They are all happy, years of conversation with sea creatures gave me the ability to slightly understand the marine life of Earth, and it makes me happy too. Like a child, I flit from exhibit to exhibit, a not very amused Shizuka right by my side.

I am elated to find a touch pool and spend half an hour there competing with little children to run my fingers over starfish and other small fishes, who are rather terrified of the children's grabby hands. Delighting in the rough texture of the easy-to-catch sea stars, I do not bother to chase after the small fishes for I am probably too old for that type of childish behavior. A few of them swim into my palm and I smile at them gently, glad that they trust me enough to approach me and allow me to touch them.

"Shizuka, touch this," I pull up the sleeve of my girlfriend's usual red jacket and gently slide her small hand into the cool water, running her fingers over the bumps of a pale sea star. A gentle look crosses her features as she calmly caresses the marine life in the pool; it seems that all forms of life (save for Earth humans) seek to please my sweetheart as all the fishes flood over to us and compete to enter the temporary cage of my Shizuka's pale fingers.

"Mizuki," Shizuka mumbles softly, alerting me to the fact that a number of children are giving us dirty looks for 'hogging the fish'. I shrug, not at all bothered about what they think of us, but decide that enough is enough for there are still many things to be seen and not enough time to see them all. Daylight in Autumn is not as long as I would like, and Master wants us back before it gets too dark.

"We'll see the sharks last, so we can wake Kei up and drag him home," I say cheerfully as I pull my sweetheart's hand, heading to the nearest exhibit to where we are. Gazing at the tanks of stingrays, I wander deeper into the amazing glass habitat, hypnotized by their silent beauty.

Manta rays drift majestically overhead, they are absolutely huge yet are graceful and serene, taking my breath away. They have amazingly large wingspans, roughly seven meters (23 feet) long, and they are colored black and white yet do not look at all monochrome. Their underbellies are a milky white and many smaller fishes swim alongside them; it saddens me to know that such beautiful creatures like the _Manta birostris_ and _Manta alfredi_ are vulnerable species. They are absolutely harmless and gentle giants that feed on zooplankton, and they are harmed by humans through pollution, entanglement in fishing nets and are harvested for Chinese medicine and consumption. How could they hunt such gentle creatures, harpoon them, even?

I long to be able to swim alongside them, to touch their rippling fins, to converse with them the way my friends did in Cray… I do not understand how anyone could bring themselves to harm such magnificent animals. Killing chickens and pigs are perfectly fine with me for neither animal is beautiful nor graceful, they are no better than humans on my scale. I guess people will call me cruel for this… oh well.

"Hey, little lady, are you alone? Want to hang out with me?" I turn to see a tall young male reaching out to take my Shizuka's hand. She tenses and flees from him immediately, not wanting to be touched by such a corrupted lowlife, heading toward me as quickly as she can. Confused and probably hurt by the cold shoulder he has just received, the male grabs my sweetheart's hand and repeats his question.

_Oh boy, you just touched Shizuka. It would've been safer to jump in the shark enclosure at feeding time._ Just as I expected, my beloved's entire body stiffens, and she growls softly, "Do not touch me, insect."

With a single sweep of her arm, she sends the male flying into a pillar, crashing into it with enough force to make _me_ cringe. He slumps to the base, dazed, as my sweetheart glares at her bare arm with an expression of barely concealed disgust. I walk over to her and pull out a bottle of disinfectant from my pocket, I have learned since young to always keep one handy for Shizuka's sake, squeezing a significant amount of the sweet smelling alcohol onto my palm and rubbing it into her skin.

"Better now?" I ask with a gentle smile; Shizuka blushes and looks away while trying to mutter an audible 'thank you'. She is adorable that way, my beloved little Shizuka, she absolutely loathes being touched by others so much that she desires to be disinfected every time a human other than me (males especially) touches her bare skin.

The young man asks from the floor, "What the heck is wrong with her?" I give him a demonic glare worthy of Dragonic Overlord while my sweetheart ignores him completely, not deigning herself to bother about such a loathsome creature.

Shoving him out of mind, I happily drag my beloved to the next exhibit, which comprises of whale sharks. Dazzled by the huge and majestic creatures, I marvel at how amazing life under the sea can be. Like manta rays, these huge animals glide through the water almost effortlessly, and despite their size they are peaceful and mostly harmless creatures.

Entranced by the aquatic world, I slowly absorb the majesty of an environment so different from my own. I move on to the next exhibit, which is a little educational segment on whales, and hang around reading the display boards with my beloved clinging onto my arm.

When lunch rolls around, I meet Haruki at the restaurant in the middle of the Aquarium; as expected, Kei is nowhere to be found. My brother informs me that the redhead is sleeping on the stands set up for people to watch the sharks, and a few kids were so amused by the sight that they took photographs of him, sat on him and put popcorn in his hair. None of it caused Kei to even stir; he is still sleeping like a log and will remain so until someone gives him a hefty kick in the gut, or the face.

After lunch, which Haruki complains about as the food was not up to his standard, we go our separate ways again, Haruki says he needs to watch out for Kei in case someone throws him in the shark tank or something. Hopefully, no one has stolen his wallet yet. After waving goodbye to my brother, Shizuka by my side, I head to the dolphin arena, where the afternoon show is taking place.

The dolphins are happy and having fun with the show, and when a volunteer is requested for, I eagerly raise my hand to take part. The kids are giving me death glares again, but I ignore them and happily swing myself onto the stage to receive my instructions. I am to direct one of the dolphins to do a few tricks, and with Dolphin Friend Paige's help, I learn that the cheeky thing is messing with me on purpose.

When I give it the command to wave its left fin, it waves its right while back-facing the audience. When I give it the command to leap, it chooses to flick water all over me with its tail before obeying the order, soaking me to the skin. I can practically hear the dolphin laughing as it flicks more water on me for good measure; that thing sure is having a lot of fun.

Laughing as well, I run a hand through my dripping wet hair and tell the dolphin jokingly, "You win this one, little buddy, but I'll be back." The audience bursts into laughter as the dolphin makes a "come at me" motion with its tail before leaping out of the water to douse me once more.

Shivering at the frigid water, I blink a few times to clear my vision and the dolphin nuzzles my hand worriedly, thinking that it has gone too far. With a grin, I pat it on the head and assure it that I am alright; Paige's dolphins treated me the same way when I paid Cray a visit a few months back. Relieved, the dolphin swims elated circles in its tank, happy to have found itself a willing playmate.

_I sure am glad that none of the animals here are mistreated. They all seem happy and energetic, it sure warms my heart._ I agree with Paige wholeheartedly, she is not the only dolphin lover in the world.

"Sorry about that, miss," the trainer says nervously, trying to stop himself from staring at the way my wet clothes are clinging to my every curve; I shrug and swipe a sardine off him to toss to my new friend, who leaps out of the water to catch it, splashing the trainer and a few members of the audience in the front row.

I leap down the stage and bid my new friend farewell as the trainer brings the show to a close, the dolphin is reluctant to allow me to leave and swims in frantic circles while calling out for me to return. Unable to sense this, the young trainer asks me to proceed to the staff quarters to dry myself off, in case I catch a cold in the freezing weather. The Aquarium will provide a change of clothes for me as an apology for the dolphin's "misbehavior".

The moment we are out of sight, the dolphin calms itself down; the poor thing must be used to having new friends come and go. Visitors rarely ever come again; after all, the entry tickets are not exactly cheap. At least it is still able to enjoy itself here and live a good life, I have heard of zoos and aquariums that mistreat their animals and allow them to grow stressed and sick for the sake of popularity.

**Shizuka's POV**

Mizuki is in the bathroom taking a shower and I am waiting for her outside the staff quarters, that male trainer standing right next to me. He is asking questions about Mizuki, her age, her hobbies, her likes, her dislikes, her personality, but I do not deign myself to answer him.

Just as the young man asks, "Well, is she single?" the door opens to reveal Mizuki in a blue turtleneck with pictures of marine animals all over it and a pair of pants with the Aquarium's name on the pockets, her wet clothes in a plastic bag slung casually over her shoulder. The turtleneck is a little tight, clinging to her every curve, while the pants are low across her hips and slightly baggy; it all adds up to an absolutely breathtaking picture. The young man gasps, his face turning red, his longing for Mizuki written all over his face.

Raising an eyebrow, Mizuki asks, "Are you talking about me?" The blushing young man nods, stuttering that she looks stunning and he would like to take her out for dinner or a movie someday soon.

Mizuki runs a hand through her short blonde hair and replies, "I'm taken, so I have to reject your offer there."

"T-taken…? By who?" he looks crestfallen now, and my girlfriend replies by walking over to me and placing a hand over my shoulder, pulling me closer to her. The crestfallen look on his face is replaced by confusion and then shock when he realizes what she means by the gesture, "Y-you're a lesbian?"

Shrugging, my beloved asks, "You got a problem with it?"

"No way! Can I watch?" he responds eagerly; Mizuki responds by slapping him in the face and guiding me away, mumbling something offensive about perverted males under her breath.

We make our way to the next stop of the journey, which is a huge tunnel where a large variety of marine life swims overhead; there are hammerhead sharks, stingrays and tons of other marine animals I cannot identify. Mizuki is hypnotized, looking very much like a child in a candy store, eyes wide with amazement as a particularly large shark swims past. If it were to stand on its tail, it would undoubtedly be taller than I am.

However, though the marine life is indeed wonderful, it cannot compare to the sights I have seen on my many forays to Cray; underwater in Bermuda Triangle territory is much more amazing than this. And Dimension Police territory is like a Star Wars or Transformers movie set, full of strange and wonderful things that cannot be seen on Earth. Bored, I turn my gaze to my beloved, memorizing the sweet look of childlike amazement on her beautiful face; this is my source of entertainment for the day, watching Mizuki's expressions.

The way the refracted light from the water reflects off her face is breathtaking; her eyes are shimmering and bands of varying intensities of light flicker across her pale skin. A huge, carefree smile has been permanently fixed on her face since we stepped in here; there is nothing more beautiful in the world than Mizuki's smile.

_I heard that_, Monaka's voice teases in my head, _Why don't you tell that to her? _I will never do something as embarrassing as that! _You're such a tsundere, Shizuka-chan!_ I refuse to respond to that, my cheeks starting to burn, and I quickly tear my gaze away from my beloved.

Unable to suppress a yawn, my body sways slightly and I accidentally bump into Mizuki, who instantly looks at me with concern, "Are you alright, Shizu?" Her arms are around me and our lips are inches apart, the proximity makes me blush furiously as I nod. A smirk takes over her features as she purrs, "Tired, aren't you? I think I overdid it last night…"

I yelp and punch her shoulder, cheeks blazing with embarrassment, and she chuckles in amusement. "How many times did you come?" I blush even darker, if that is physically possible, and strike out at her again. Unfazed, she continues anyway, "Definitely more than ten times, am I right?"

"Mizu!" I cry out in protest; I am probably a bright red that will make a tomato jealous right now. Why is she saying such embarrassing things...? Worst of all, Mizuki is right, every word she said is right…

She just laughs and whispers in my ear, "It was exactly seventeen. And then you passed out." I yelp again, my blush spreading to my ears as well; she wraps her arms around me and pulls me tightly against her, burying my face in her shoulder.

"_Baka_," I mumble under my breath, and she chuckles. I stay hidden in her embrace until my cheeks cool down and return to their normal color, the two of us ignoring all the comments of tourists and Aquarium staff that walk by. Monaka's only comment is, _"Wow, you have quite the sex life."_ before disappearing to train somewhere in Oracle Think Tank territory to evade my embarrassed protests. Monaka is an introverted girl who is nearly as cold as her blade to everyone other than me, so I can rest assured that my… secret… is safe with her.

Hand in hand, Mizuki and I walk down the entire length of the tunnel, stopping once in a while for my beloved to examine a certain fish more closely or to take a couple of pictures. A few elementary school and high school students are mumbling and looking strangely at us when we emerge from the tunnel, but Mizuki notices nothing at all, dragging me to see some octopus next.

All I know about octopus is that people put them in _takoyaki_, but now I am learning much more things about them. It seems that they are very intelligent creatures, more intelligent than your average human Cardfighter. They can also change colors and textures to melt into the background, a very useful camouflage skill that I wish I could have to avoid meeting people.

"Shizu, look at this!" a very excited Mizuki points at a video showing that an octopus can change colors very quickly. Currently, the octopus is black and white like bathroom tiles, and when the ground color changes to a shaggy red like a carpet, the octopus changes almost instantaneously. "Isn't that cool?"

I nod wordlessly, just as the bunch of students from before approach us. A small bespectacled boy asks, "You two are from Team Angelus, aren't you? Tsukino Shizuka-sama and Kita Mizuki-sama?"

Mizuki nods briskly, about to ask what it is that they want, when one of the high schoolers asks, "Can we have your autograph?" My beloved shrugs and accepts their markers and deck boxes, scrawling her signature on the plastic surface and then handing it to me to do the same.

As we are signing, the group of boys begins to ask many questions that I do not bother to pay attention to. None of them bother to ask where Kei and Haruki are, fawning over us instead; Mizuki refuses to let them take any photographs in case they do something weird with them. Master has always warned us about teenage boys and their hormonal impulses; he also told us that he is relieved that Mizuki and I are dating each other because it saves him from having to worry about unwanted pregnancies (Master says he has heard us "at it" multiple times).

Eyes shining, the boys declare that we are their idols, and one of the elder boys shoves one of the smaller ones closer to us, saying, "Kenji-kun here says he will marry you someday, Mizuki-sama."

"Is that so?" Mizuki smiles, "Keep dreaming, dude." The small boy looks instantly crestfallen, not that either of us cares.

"That's what we told him," grins the elder boy that shoved him, "You already have Shizuka-sama, after all, and even a fool would not let her get away."

My beloved smiles a little wider, warm eyes falling upon me, "You're right there. I will never let my Shizu go." As if to prove her point, she grabs me by the waist and holds me close, chuckling when I blush furiously and hiss "_baka_" under my breath.

I stay silent and let Mizuki deal with the boys; she somehow manages to get us away from them and leads me deeper into the octopus enclosure. I have no idea how she is able to tolerate communication with complete strangers, if I were by myself, I would have just fled from them or ignored them completely.

Clinging on to my beloved's arm, we walk on to the shark enclosure to wake Kei when we have finished staring at the octopus; Mizuki gives Kei a casual kick in the guts which sends him spluttering and gasping, accusing her of wanting to murder him.

"If I wanted to murder you, I would just throw you to the sharks while you were asleep," she replies with a smirk, gesturing at the huge great white shark that swims right by the glass. Kei gulps audibly and thanks Amaterasu for making Mizuki feel merciful today, making everyone but me laugh.

"I want to head to the gift shop," Mizuki says, "Can one of you look out for Shizu for me?" I want to protest and to follow her, but the look in her eyes tells me that she wants to do something alone, so I leave her.

With Kei and Haruki around me, no guy dares to bother me; many give me wistful looks but scamper away when they receive a death glare from either one of my "bodyguards". One or two approach and try to make small talk, but I ignore them completely and when they ask about me, Haruki will inform them pointedly that I am taken.

"Taken by who?" one of them is particularly insistent; Kei jerks his thumb in the direction of the store and states my beloved's name. The male continues to ask more questions, getting on their nerves as well as my own; before I can snap and attack, Mizuki returns and asks what is going on.

"Ah, Mizuki," Kei focuses on my beloved's name, "This guy's a little curious about Shizuka-san, that's all." The boy's eyes widen when he hears my beloved's name, unwilling to believe that I am taken by a girl.

"Hmm? What business do you have with my girlfriend?" my beloved places one arm around my shoulder and pulls me close; I gratefully lean into her warmth as the boy's face changes color.

"You're pulling my leg," he sputters at last, Mizuki just shrugs and chooses to ignore him, hoping that he will go away on his own. He remains rooted there, his mouth hanging open in disbelief, as we walk toward the exit of the Aquarium together.

"Sweetie, this is for you," she hands me a stuffed dolphin, smiling as a blush suffuses my cheeks, "To remember that damn cheeky little thing that soaked me to the skin."

Curious, Haruki asks what happened, and he and Kei are laughing at the dolphin's antics in no time. Mizuki is laughing as well, she was quite amused by the cheek of that dolphin; I absolutely adore the sound of her laughter, it makes me feel warm and bubbly inside.

"That explains the change in clothes, _nee-san_," Haruki grins, "I thought you did _something_ with Shizuka-sama that made them dirty."

Kei bursts out laughing at the comment while I turn red enough to rival the color of my jacket. Together, the four of us head out of the Aquarium, Mizuki making a suggestive remark that turns me an even darker shade of red while Kei raises his hands and declares "Way too much information."

Wrapping my arms around the stuffed toy in my arms, I smile slightly, savoring the warmth in my chest. Mizuki, I love you…

**Aichi's POV**

"T-Toshiki, is that…?" I turn to my husband, pointing at a petite silver haired girl who is currently leaving the Aquarium with three other teenagers around her. He looks at the girl, brows furrowing, and quickly turns as pale as I am, softly telling me that we should get back right away.

After a quick taxi ride, we burst urgently into a nearly empty Card Capital, it is nearing closing time and most of the younger Cardfighters have gone home. Despite the many years that have passed, Card Capital is still up and running, and doing very well. Cheerfully, Miwa-kun greets, "What's on your tail, Aichi-kun?"

"Get everyone," Toshiki says seriously, "We have something important to tell you guys."

Miwa-kun reads the atmosphere and herds the remaining customers out the door apologetically, pulling up a few chairs as the gang settles around the table, looking at us expectantly. Despite the years that have passed, most of us are still here, Ren-san, Asaka-san, Miwa-kun, Rekka-san, Emi, Naoki-kun, Shingo-kun, Shin-san; even Shop Manager is still here, though really getting on in years.

"I-I saw someone that looks like… _their_ daughter," I manage to choke out; everyone turns as pale as Toshiki and I when they hear the words from my mouth. My beloved husband gently takes my hand when he senses my nervousness, and I smile at him gratefully. Asaka-san asks if I am sure, and Toshiki answers for me, "How many silver haired girls are there in the world, Asaka-san? That girl is a dead ringer for her."

Emi says that it may be a coincidence; I respond that I am sure that girl had the same guarded, deep purple eyes as _their_ daughter did, though I did not get a close enough look and cannot exactly confirm that it is definitely her. _Their _daughter is a very unique girl, and a very gifted Cardfighter. As a child, she would beat us upside down with many different decks; she loved trying out new things, but always kept her favorite Oracle Think Tank Clan as her number one.

"I saw them signing some Cardfighters' deck boxes, maybe we should try watching professional Vanguard again," I voice out nervously, unsure how the others will react to my suggestion; Toshiki gives me a reassuring kiss on the lips that makes me blush furiously.

"It won't hurt to try," Ren-san declares, folding his hands on the table. His wife, Asaka-san, protests; though she would not admit it while _they_ were alive, she had been close to _them_ and considered _them_ good friends, and she never really got over _their_ untimely deaths, "R-Ren-sama!"

"I am sure _they_ will forgive us, Asaka," there is a sad look in his eyes now; it is mirrored in all of our eyes. Rekka-san nods and agrees with him, Emi says that she can imagine _them_ chewing us out for moping ten years away. We laugh, I have to admit, I can really hear _her_ voice chiding us for being sentimental fools.

"What have you guys been doing, breaking down so easily?" Emi puts on _her_ voice, making us all laugh even harder; it really does sound like something _she_ would say. "Do not just dwell on the bad memories, there are good ones too!"

"I really can imagine _her_ saying that," Naoki-kun says, "I can practically hear _her_ voice in my head." He shudders and we all laugh once more, it has been a long time since we have thought of _them_ with fondness, we used to try avoid mention of them so as to avoid the painful memories.

Wistfully, I say that I wish the whole gang could be together again, and it puts a damper on our spirits. Tetsu-san has gotten himself a job and started a family; he is much too busy to drop by Card Capital like old times. _They_ are dead now; _they_ have been dead for ten years and _their_ only daughter gone missing. Morikawa-kun committed suicide after he learned of Kourin-san's murder, and Izaki-kun was never the same after that. Kamui-kun was never the same after Emi started dating Rekka-san, and his two "lackeys" have long left to embark on their own paths.

"It's alright. All of us here… we'll do our best. And if that is _their_ daughter… we'll definitely bring her back… and bring that murderer to justice," Shin-san's eyes are watery, it is no wonder. So many tragedies have befallen him, he has lost so much…

"Yeah, we will!" all of us pump our fists into the air, filled once again with the youthful energy that had sapped away from us when _they_ died. Sure, we are no longer kids; it has been more than 15 years since I started that Cardfight Club in Miyaji Academy. Still, nothing says we cannot behave like the kids we once were.

"_Onna-banchou, _Kourin-san, we'll find your daughter and bring her back!" Naoki-kun exclaims, leaping to his feet, "I'm all fired up!" He could not have found better words to express all of our feelings.

**A/N: Here is the next character profile! I am thinking of making changes to Haruki's decklist later, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it! ~Haruka**

_**Kita Haruki**_

_**Age: 16**_

_**Height: 167cm / 5ft. 5in.**_

_**Weight: 53kg / 116lb**_

_**Birthday: 23 July**_

_**Personality: He is determined and loyal and is rather afraid of Shizuka's immense PSY Qualia, hence the "Shizuka-sama". He lacks self-confidence and desires to grow stronger, and loves to cook. When Cardfighting, he enjoys plotting ahead and leaving his opponent a few steps behind him.**_

_**Appearance: Short black hair, amber eyes, alabaster skin, he is a rather cute-looking guy (in a Shota kind of way). He usually wears a white button-up shirt, faded jeans and black sneakers.**_

_**Strength of PSY Qualia: Medium. He is the weakest user of the Team and can only predict the next card if it is a trump card or trigger.**_

_**Clan: Angel Feathers**_

_**Deck list:**_

_**G0:**_

_**First Aid Celestial, Penuel x 1**_

_**Celestial Landing Pegasus [Draw] x 4**_

_**Punishment Celestial, Shamihaza [Critical] x 4**_

_**Critical Hit Angel [Critical] x 4**_

_**Healing Celestial, Ramiel [Heal] x 4**_

_**G1:**_

_**Marking Celestial, Arabaki x 4**_

_**Underlay Celestial, Hesediel x 4**_

_**Battle Cupid, Nociel x 3**_

_**Adamantine Celestial, Aniel x 2**_

_**Pure Keeper, Requiel x 1**_

_**G2:**_

_**Essence Celestial, Becca x 4**_

_**Candle Celestial, Sariel x 4**_

_**Wild Shot Celestial, Raguel x 4**_

_**G3:**_

_**Prophecy Celestial, Ramiel x 3**_

_**Solidify Celestial, Zerachiel x 4**_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I will not be accepting any more OCs from now on, my plot has already been solidified and all the gaps filled. Thank you for your understanding.**

**Thank you to Yuri-sensei for the OCs Xine Arvadeile, Saskia Larvania and Lilith Larvania, who will be appearing in this chapter.**

**To StattStatt, I'm probably a bigger jerk because I killed him, and Kourin and Misaki too. I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter and the cheeky dolphin!**

**To Maiden Warrior, I knowXP Mizuki's quite the monster in bed, huh? Poor Shizuka:P**

**To YaoiYuriFan, sorry to disappoint, but Kei and Haruki are straight. I am not into Yaoi, which is why I am keeping it to Kaichi. Yuri, on the other hand, will be spammed:)**

**Haruka**

**Shizuka's POV**

Nationals have begun at last, though none of the four Teams that have played so far could even hope to be any kind of threat to Angelus. Currently, a Team called Striking Cobra is having its second match; the first was between some strange male in a butler suit with a Neo Nectar deck from Striking Cobra and a teenager with a Kagero deck from a Team with a lame name I cannot be bothered to remember. The Neo Nectar fellow lost, of course, Kagero's rearguard-burning skill was his deck's exact weakness, and he had nothing left to clone on the field by the time his enemy was done with him.

"From Striking Cobra we have the beautiful Suzuki Aiko, otherwise known as Silver Thorn Dragon Queen, Luquier "Reverse" on Earth!" The girl has long scarlet hair and scarlet eyes, much like the unit she is known as, and she wears a tight-fitting black crop top, black shorts and thigh-high black boots; is she trying to recreate the unit's appearance? I wonder if she is a good Cardfighter, it would be an insult to the Dragon Queen if she were not.

"From Flaming Comet, we have Kasumi Haruko!" The boy is much less interesting, an ordinary-looking fellow with gravity-defying black hair; I ignore him completely and focus on the match that begins before me.

"Stand up, Vanguard!" "Stand up, Vanguard!"

"Silver Thorn Assistant, Ionera!" "Stealth Rogue of Body Replacement, Kokuenmaru!"

On the field, an adorably small warbeast in a yellow costume, a fairy wand in hand, appears in a flash of light. Opposite her, a demon in a ninja costume appears; it has an extremely large _shuriken_ strapped to its back, nearly as large as the demon itself.

"I draw," the red haired girl, Aiko, begins first, "I ride Silver Thorn Assistant, Irina. Ionera moves to rearguard. Irina's skill, I look at the top two cards of my deck, and I soulcharge Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Luquier." The little warbeast moves back as a larger blonde one appears in her place. She wears a crown of silver thorns over one cat-like ear.

_Aiko Front: RG-Silver Thorn Assistant, Irina-RG Back: RG-Silver Thorn Assistant, Ionera-RG Damage: 0 Hand: 5 Soul: 1_

"I draw and ride Stealth Rogue of Silence, Shijimamaru!" A blindfolded white haired human appears in a flash of light, "Kokuenmaru moves to rearguard." The demon ninja from before takes a backseat and begins to glow, its light moving toward the human, "Boosted by Kokuenmaru, Shijimamaru attacks!"

"No guard." There is no trigger on either side, and the male Cardfighter ends his turn.

_Haruko Front: RG-Stealth Rogue of Silence, Shijimamaru-RG Back: RG-Stealth Rogue of Body Replacement, Kokuenmaru-RG Damage: 0 Hand: 6 Soul: 0_

"I draw and ride Silver Thorn Marionette, Lillian." In the warbeast's place, a pink haired puppet wearing a crown of silver thorns appears, a large sword in hand. "I call Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Maricica." A pink haired elf appears by the puppet's side, wielding whips of silver thorns.

"Ionera boosts, Lillian attacks your Vanguard. Drive trigger check: Get, Critical trigger. I give the Critical to Lillian and the power to Maricica." The opponent's damage check reveals no triggers as Aiko activates Ionera's skill, adding Silver Thorn Breathing Dragon to the soul. "Maricica attacks your Vanguard," the silver thorn whips strike the opponent without any resistance, and the red haired girl activates Maricica's skill and superior calls Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Luquier from the soul; this attack is blocked by Stealth Beast, Night Panther, and Luquier returns to the soul.

_Aiko Front: Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Maricica-Silver Thorn Marionette, Lillian-RG Back: RG-Silver Thorn Assistant, Ionera-RG Damage: 1 Hand: 5 Soul: 3_

"I stand and draw, and I ride Stealth Beast, Bloody Mist! I call Stealth Beast, White Mane and Stealth Fiend, Oboro Cart! Oboro Cart's skill, I counterblast and superior call another Stealth Beast, White Mane! White Mane attacks Maricica!" Why in the world is he shouting…?

"I guard with Silver Thorn Marionette, Lillian."

"With a boost from Kokuenmaru, Bloody Mist attacks your Vanguard!" the attack passes through but does not gain any trigger boosts; White Mane's attack goes through as well and the boy unflips one damage. At the end of the turn, the White Mane that was superior called returns to the bottom of the deck. Murakumo can be an annoying Clan with its hit-and-run tactics, but it fortunately does not hit very high numbers most of the time.

_Haruko Front: Stealth Beast, White Mane-Stealth Beast, Bloody Mist-RG Back: Stealth Fiend, Oboro Cart-Stealth Rogue of Body Replacement, Kokuenmaru-RG Damage: 3 Hand: 5 Soul: 1_

"I stand and draw. Ride, Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Luquier!" a black haired elf appears in a flash of light, a dragon made out of bone by her side. The silver thorn whip in her hand glints dangerously. "I call Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Ana to rearguard." A green haired elf takes the stage behind Maricica, and Pale Moon's show begins. Luquier leads the charge, which meets no resistance, and obtains yet another Critical trigger whose power bonus goes to Maricica. Ionera's ability sees a copy of Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Ana to the soul. Unable to take any more damage, the boy throws down Fox Tamer, Izuna and Stealth Fiend, Oboro Cart to block the final attack; it is good that he cannot let any attacks through, Maricica and Ana's abilities would result in two cards being pulled from the soul.

_Aiko Front: Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Maricica-Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Luquier-RG Back: Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Ana-Silver Thorn Assistant, Ionera-RG Damage: 3 Hand: 5 Soul: 5_

"I stand and draw, and I ride Fantasy Petal Storm, Shirayuki!" a lovely white haired ghost in a shrine maiden outfit appears in a flash of light, and the boy continues, "Activating Kokuenmaru's skill, I move him to soul and check the top five cards of my deck for a Grade Three unit. I add a copy of Shirayuki to my hand. I call Stealth Rogue of Silence, Shijimamaru! Boosted by Shijimamaru, Shirayuki attacks!" His drive trigger check sees nothing; it seems that lady luck is not on his side today. The attack from White Mane is guarded by Silver Thorn Barking Dragon; I wonder why, she can afford to take another damage, though the next card feels like a good card. Can she sense it too…?

_Haruko Front: Stealth Beast, White Mane-Fantasy Petal Storm, Shirayuki-RG Back: Stealth Fiend, Oboro Cart-Stealth Rogue of Silence, Shijimamaru-RG Damage: 5 Hand: 5 Soul: 3_

"I stand and draw. When your whip of thorns cracks, all dragons cower and throw themselves to the ground! Crossride, Silver Thorn Dragon Queen, Luquier "Reverse"!" the red haired elf with dark rings behind her body appears, a mad look in her blazing red eyes. Studying closely, I can sense a very slight but unmistakable PSY Qualia from this Cardfighter; how can it be? Did Master not gather all the PSY Qualia users? There should be no others… "Activating Luquier "Reverse"'s Limit Break; I Lock Ionera and superior call Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Ana from the soul. She gains 5000 power for the turn. I call Silver Thorn Rising Dragon."

Well, this is going to be fun… the show is starting to get interesting. The little warbeast cries out in pain as her body shrinks, forcefully pulled into a dark sphere. "Luquier "Reverse" attacks your Vanguard!"

"I guard with Stealth Beast, Cat Devil!" The drive trigger check reveals a single Critical trigger, which she gives to Maricica. Maricica swings in at 21,000, a perfect number for the 11,000 base Shirayuki, and he activates the persona blast to take 20,000 off that attack to save himself. With three cards and one intercepting unit left on the field, his chances of surviving are pretty good.

"Boosted by Ana, Rising Dragon attacks! His skill gives him another 3000 power!"

"I guard with Stealth Beast, Cat Rogue, Stealth Beast, Flame Fox and White Mane intercepts!" That final card in his hand must be a Grade 3… Shrugging, Aiko unlocks Ionera; she knows that there is no chance he will be able to finish her off.

_Aiko Front: Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Maricica-Silver Thorn Dragon Queen, Luquier "Reverse"-Silver Thorn Rising Dragon Back: Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Ana-Silver Thorn Assistant, Ionera-Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Ana Damage: 4 Hand: 6 Soul: 5_

"I stand and draw, moving Oboro Cart forward. Boosted by Shijimamaru, Shirayuki attacks your Vanguard!"

"Silver Thorn Hypnos, Lydia will negate that attack. I drop one Pale Moon card from my hand." She is not taking any risks today, it seems, and she was right not to as he finally gets an elusive Critical trigger, whose effects go to Oboro Cart. He uses it to attack Rising Dragon, whom she does not guard for. She wants an empty slot for the Queen's skill, it seems.

_Haruko Front: Stealth Fiend, Oboro Cart-Fantasy Petal Storm, Shirayuki-RG Back: RG-Stealth Rogue of Silence, Shijimamaru-RG Damage: 5 Hand: 4 Soul: 3_

"I stand and draw," Aiko's eyes glow with a very brief light as she declares, "**Final Turn**! Activating Luquier's Limit Break, I Lock Ionera and superior call Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Luquier from my soul; she gains 5000 power for the turn. Luquier "Reverse" swings in at your Vanguard!"

"I guard with Fox Tamer, Izuna!" The drive trigger check reveals a Draw trigger, whose bonus goes to the rearguard Luquier, who swings in at Shirayuki. He activates the persona blast to escape this attack, but is taken out by Maricica, boosted by Ana. The game comes to an end, even if he had a Heal trigger, Maricica and Ana would be able to continue the show; the battlefield fades from my vision and Cray's hold loosens slowly. A sudden bolt of nostalgia grips me as a faded and fuzzy memory of a blue haired Silver Thorn player appears in my mind, bringing me back to a time I cannot recall. _"Wow, you're really good at this, Shizuka-chan!"_

W-what was that…? Who was that…? Shaking my head slightly, I force myself to focus on the next match, which is a clash between the two Team leaders. Hopefully, this will be an interesting Cardfight; being Team leader, he must be stronger than that red haired Cardfighter.

…

Team Striking Cobra's leader is the most annoying, arrogant and narcissistic prick I have ever seen, he thinks himself amazing and oh-so-good-looking, and imagines that there are girls throwing themselves at his feet everywhere. Honestly, he is not at all handsome, I am surprised my eyes did not burn from looking at him, and his attitude stinks to high heaven. He emerges victorious by a small margin but acts as if he won by a landslide, his female teammate looks very annoyed with him and slaps him across the face before storming away; did he try to make a move or something?

"Next up is… oh! Team Angelus against our favorite, Team Oracle! This is going to be an interesting match!" The loud screams and cheers help take my mind off that annoying Cardfighter; I cringe at the amplitude of the sound and follow my Teammates down to the waiting area.

Mizuki volunteers to go first and I want to play second; Kei says he really pities Team Oracle as they are going to be blown away completely today. While they are players with a sizable amount of skill, they still do not stand a chance against us, our _skill_ gives us the upper hand at all times. Mizuki wipes the floor with her opponent, playing with Clear and Celtic's skills using Eternal Idol's Limit Break to hit large numbers. Being a 10,000 base Vanguard (CEO Amaterasu), Mizuki's opponent ended up losing his handsize advantage guarding my beloved's crushing and constant attacks. He tries to pull of the Megablast to gain some cards and save himself by calling two CEOs to rearguard, but Mizuki wisely chooses to guard them all even though she has only four damage.

"Now, we have Angelus' Frozen Princess against Oracle's Ice King! This is going to be a clash of the Battle Sisters!" Excited cheering rises from the stands, none of the fans are sure who will win this battle and look forward to a close fight. I will most probably be disappointing them by crushing him utterly.

"Stand up, my Vanguard!" "Stand up, the Vanguard!"

"Battle Sister Waffle!" "Battle Sister Éclair!"

He begins first, and does not ride a Grade 1, having missed one. He ends his turn and before I draw, I ask my friends on Cray, "If you do not give him a Grade 1, how can we have fun?" Reluctantly, they agree to give him Battle Sister Chocolat in his next draw, but Battle Sister Ginger is going to show up in my drive check to 'even out the favors'. I do not mind as long as he can put up some sort of fight, and leave them to continue plotting out the rest of the game.

"I ride Dark Cat, its skill activates. Waffle moves to rearguard," it is my avatar, Monaka, that Dark Cat's skill supplies me. From the shocked, slightly displeased yet relieved look on the male's face, he has most probably drawn the Grade 1 that my friends agreed to give him. "Boosted by Waffle, Dark Cat attacks your Vanguard. Drive trigger check: Get, Critical trigger. All effects go to Dark Cat."

"Damage check… no triggers," two Monakas have gone to the damage zone, it seems that my avatar will only be working for me in this game… He looks at me suspiciously and asks, "How the heck did you do that?" He flips over the card that Dark Cat provided him; it is Battle Sister Chocolat, "I got a Grade 1 when you said I should get one. What trick are you playing?"

I ignore him and he draws, riding Chocolat and attacking Dark Cat with a boost from Éclair; my damage check is a Draw trigger, Battle Sister Tiramisu, who provides me with yet another copy of my avatar. "I stand and draw. Ride: Battle Sister Tart. I call Battle Sister Macaron and Oracle Guardian, Gemini." This is not going to be as fun as I hoped it would be…

…

"**Final Turn**," I announce calmly, activating Battle Sister Monaka's persona blast thrice and using Psychic Bird to get to my stack, my favorite trick. With nothing but a Grade 3 and a Grade 2 in his hand, my opponent has no choice but to be mown down by my avatar's attack, along with the aid of two Critical triggers. The audience is silent for a moment as my opponent screams in pain, Monaka's sword slashing across his chest and sending ice-cold agony through his pathetic body. The weakling's knees fold beneath him and he crumples to the floor, clutching where my avatar had struck him. When he rises, the entire stadium bursts into applause, shrieking my name and my Team's name in delight; he walks toward me with a weird smile on his face, hand outstretched.

The emcee screams into the microphone about a stunning, crushing victory as I flee, leaving my opponent in the center of the field alone. I have no desire to speak to him outside of the battlefield and there is no hope in Hell that I will touch him, even if all he desires is a simple handshake. Men are disgusting, dangerous, polluted creatures; something from my past assures me that. They have no qualms with using others, harming others and then getting rid of them when they have outlived their usefulness.

**Whitney's POV**

"Damn it, Wesley, Whitney!" Holding back giggles, my elder brother and I disappear into Bro's (and our only other male teammate's) room and pretend to be immersed in a tabletop game of Vanguard just as a half-naked, red-faced Akira storms into the room, his hair slicked to his scalp.

Calmly, Bro raises an eyebrow and asks, "Why are you walking around half-naked, Akira-kun?" The handsome dark haired boy's reaction is to growl at us to stop playing dumb, for we are fully aware what situation he is in. We continue to feign innocence anyway, frustrating the half-Chinese boy to no end; this is the third time we have pulled this trick on him.

What trick, you ask? Well, we put red dye in his face wash and jammed his shampoo bottle with a load of dead bugs. When I said he was red-faced, I literally meant that he had a _red face._ He groans and runs a hand through his hair, grumbling about having to buy yet another bottle of shampoo and face wash. "It isn't cheap, you know," he scolds, but we all know that Akira cannot stay mad for long. He is way too good-natured, which is why he is among our favorite targets. If we tried something like this on Shizuka-sama and if Mizuki-senpai does not murder us first, she will have all of Cray upon us. Maybe she will have our own Clans torture us… I will not put anything past Shizuka-sama as she does not see humans (other than Mizuki-senpai) as anything but cockroaches.

"You have a part-time job and allowance, so you'll manage," I tell him with an almost cheeky grin, resisting the call of PSY Qualia as much as I can by distracting myself from the game. Bro's Spectral Duke Dragon has emerged on the field and my rearguard is currently pathetically empty; I shall take as much damage as I can to fix that the next turn with my avatar, Darkness Maiden, Macha. My Dark Dictator will not be of much use without rearguards, he is basically a Shadow Paladin version of King of Knights, Alfred, after all.

"I can find the both of you one, too," he says suddenly, and Bro asks him excitedly what it is. Growling, the dark haired boy snaps, "Being my punching bags!"

"Does it come with insurance?" I ask cheekily, starting my turn by standing and drawing. Akira shakes his head, and Bro declines the offer formally, laughing as Akira storms out of the room sputtering to find his girlfriend, whom he can borrow shampoo off of. The two of us burst out laughing, abandoning the game as we roll around on the floor hysterically. "Who shall we go for next, Bro?" I ask in between my laughter; Bro collects himself and puts on his thoughtful look, and I follow suit.

"How about Saskia?" Bro suggests, grinning as my cheeks turn a little red at the mention of the tall, black haired half-Russian female. He has always known that I have had a crush on Saskia, and Mizuki-senpai, but I am not stupid enough to allow my feelings for the latter to develop any more than they already have.

"Why not Lilith?" I ask, directing his attention to Saskia's younger sister, a cheerful, thirteen year old blonde who plays Shadow Paladins, just like I do. Her build, however, is the traditional Phantom Blaster Dragon one, without the crossride and with units like Apocalypse Bat and Skull Witch Nemain. "That fake lizard already scared her out of her wits, her reaction will be gold!"

Fortunately, Bro agrees, "I think I have a bunch of rubber spiders… We can rig them around Lilith's usual table!" I agree immediately, helping him rummage around in his closet and discovering many old gag toys which we will definitely reuse in the days to come.

**In Card Shop Karuta**

Using miniature circuits built by breaking open children's electronic toys and getting busy with a soldering iron, Bro and I set up the spiders to leap from hidden nooks and crannies at our command. The shop is empty because school has not let out yet, the players will only start flooding in ten minutes later, when the dismissal bell has freed them. No one but us know of the spiders' presences, the shopkeeper, Yamazawa or something, is nearly always napping at the till. However, the moment any merchandise is touched, he automatically wakes up. No one knows how he does it; maybe it's an adult's thing.

"Whitney, Wesley, what a surprise!" Xine, Saskia's cousin, enters the shop first, his uniform already untidy and his tie having pulled a Houdini on him and disappearing somewhere, "I thought you guys were busy today?"

"Our prank was done earlier than expected," Bro replies with a self-satisfied grin, running a hand through his blonde hair, "And Whitney wanted to see Saskia, so we dropped by."

"**I did not**!" I shout, clobbering Bro on the head while trying to stop myself from blushing; though I did not say that I wanted to see the black haired girl, I had definitely thought it, and Bro picked up on it with the 'twin sense'.

Xine just raises an eyebrow and mentions that my cheeks have turned red and that his cousin will be very happy to know that I have feelings for her, folding his arms and smirking. My response to that is to whip out a water gun from my pocket and spray them both in the face; a prankster is always prepared to pull off random and spontaneous tricks if they can get away with it. Hence, I always carry a number of weird things on my person, which helps if I want to get back at someone.

"What is that water gun loaded with? It's sticky," Xine complains, I just grin mysteriously and leave the boys to panic over the identity of the liquid and rush for the nearest bathroom. The shopkeeper remains snoring as the boys tear past him, noticing nothing.

When they return, Saskia and Lilith are strolling in together, having changed out of their school uniforms to their usual outfits. Saskia smiles and greets me warmly, and I stutter a response while trying to hide my blazing cheeks. Bro snickers and I elbow him in the gut for revenge, disguising it as an alert that Lilith is approaching the rigged table.

"Hey, Lilith, let's have a game!" I say excitedly, taking the side of the table where the spiders are not at and taking out my deck. Unsuspecting, the blonde settles into the seat, and Bro winks at me before setting the spiders loose. The first one leaps from under the table onto Lilith's lap, and the girl shrieks in terror and tries desperately to brush it off. Just then, another rubber spider lands on the back of her hand; the little buggers look so real that Lilith does not know they are actually toys.

Alarmed, Xine and Saskia move to help the poor girl just as Bro and I burst out laughing, assuring them all that the spiders are made of rubber. Unlike your usual teenage girl, Lilith did not complain nor start crying, instead bursting out laughing alongside us and saying, "You guys really got me there, I was terrified!"

Good-natured Saskia laughs as well, patting Bro and I on the head for a job well done. With a cheeky grin, she whispers to me that she would gladly pay the two of us to pull a trick on the napping shopkeeper someday. I blush at her proximity, she is so close that I can smell the exotic and fragrant scent of her skin; Bro snickers again and I throw one of the spiders at his head. There is a moment of silence as the toy strikes my brother, who is wearing a shocked and hurt expression, before we both start laughing almost hysterically.

"Well, craziness does run in the family," Xine comments, a smile threatening to break his face apart. Saskia says with a low, sexy chuckle, "It sure makes spending time with them interesting, though."

**Shizuka's POV**

_I am slumped on the floor, wrapped in a white blanket, and there is a very beautiful silver haired woman bent over me, as if trying to shield me with her body. Looking at her feels like looking into a mirror, she has the same eyes and hair as I do and very similar features, is she my mother…?_

_A man with unruly black hair and deep purple eyes approaches the silver haired woman, his eyes are bloodshot and he has a glass bottle in his hand. There is a stench about him, I did not know what it was back then, but now I am positive that it is the smell of alcohol; this man is drunk. He bears down upon us and the silver haired woman's fear chokes my senses, I want to cry but I am much too afraid to make a sound._

"_Dammit! Your inheritance's run out and you can't lift a finger to work, you useless woman! Because of you and that thing, I can't go out and marry another rich heiress!" so, this man is my father and that woman is my mother…? It feels familiar; there is a memory awakening deep within me, an early memory that assures me men are the most despicable creatures on earth. "Useless pieces of garbage, go to Hell! I have no need for either of you any longer!"_

_He brings the bottle crashing down, aiming for my small and defenseless form on the ground. My mother throws herself before me, the glass shatters and the terrifying cry of human agony pierces the air. I start to cry and my mother turns to scoop me in her arms, whispering soothingly to me; her shoulder has shards of glass sticking out of it and blood is soaking through her shirt._

"_SHUT UP!" the man shouts, producing another bottle from the mess that is the floor and hurling it toward us. My mother screams in pain as she turns to take the damage and defend me; she runs for the door with me in her arms, splattering blood down the hallway and the gravel driveway. My father follows, an armload of bottles in tow, screaming expletives and hurling the bottles after us._

_My mother stops at every door she can, hammering desperately and begging for help, but the people inside simply draw the curtains and lock their doors, not wanting to have anything to do with it. Desperate, wounded and sobbing, my mother continues to flee my father; glass shards have been embedded into the soles of her feet, running must be a terrible agony for her right now… Behind us is a trail of bloody footprints, and I am still crying in fear at the panic that surrounds me. This is not going to help us escape my father…_

_A flying bottle strikes my mother in the back of the head and she falls to the ground, using her arms to shield me from the force. Even so, it jolts through me, and I whimper softly. Her life is draining rapidly from her and through ashen lips, she whispers to me, "I love you, Ai… I'm sorry that I had to… bring you into a world… like this…" With that, her night-sky like eyes close, and her body goes limp. The shock drives the wind out of my body, I am no longer able to cry, I can only stare numbly at my mother's corpse._

_My father catches up to us and smashes another bottle on my mother's head; before he can get to me, a bunch of vehicles with flashing lights on them, which I now know are police cars, pull up by the road. Many men in blue corner my father and a man and a woman in the same uniform approach my mother's body, shaking their heads in sympathy as my father is manhandled into one of the cars, his hands trapped behind his back. Some of the policemen have sustained injuries from my father's bottles, but they do not look serious compared to the cuts that cover my mother's body._

_The man is dialing for an ambulance while the woman examines my mother, suddenly noticing the bundle in her arms. She extracts me gently and checks me over for any outward injuries, informing the others, "Hey, she had a kid with her!"_

_They begin to surround me, talking in hushed voices and gazing upon me with pity. Some of them have tears in their eyes while others are trying to make funny faces or touch me. I do not like strangers, being anti-social and withdrawn from birth, hence, I start crying, reaching out for my mother and calling out, "Mama! Mama!"_

_Their eyes become even darker, even sadder, the woman who held me remarks almost bitterly, "She probably isn't even two years old yet, the poor thing…"_

"_Let's hope she isn't old enough to remember this in the future," one of the men says as I continue sobbing pathetically and crying out for my mother, my little body trembling all over. The woman tries to comfort me, but I continue to shout for my mother in a panicked and trembling little voice._

"_Her identity has been confirmed. Minamoto Ai, sixteen months old," another man in a black suit emerges from the car, "We won't be letting her go back to her father no matter what, so we should start the paperwork and get her in an orphanage."_

"_It has a beautiful meaning, 'source of love', but she won't be keeping it, will she?" The man in the black suit shakes his head in response and says the orphanage will most likely change it as I am young enough to adjust to it, so that I will have no connections with my past any longer. My old name may trigger terrible memories when I grow up, they fear, so they want to cut me away from it as soon as they can._

_With that, the policemen and policewoman take me into one of their many cars and drive away; to my horror, they have left my mother behind, where a larger, rectangular vehicle with flashing lights (an ambulance) is parked. I scream and protest, repeating the only word that I know, the only person that I know I am safe with, "Mama! Mama!" I reach out toward her desperately and the police officers look away, trying their very best not to cry._

"_MAMA!"_

**A/N: Please leave a review if you have anything to say! They are greatly appreciated~!**

**Haruka**


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